•BBB 


H 

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THE  IRISH   PRINCE 


AND 


THE    HEBREW   PROPHET 


A  Masonic  Tale  of  the  captive  Jews  and 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 


By  the  author  of 
•'THE  JERICO   PAPERS" 


LIA   FAIL 
"  Unless  the  fates  have  faithless  grown, 

And  prophet's  voice  be  vain, 
Where'er  is  found  the  sacred  stone 
The  wanderer's  race  shall  reign." — CELTIC  BARD 

Translated  by  Sir  WALTER  SCOTT 


NEW   YORK 

MASONIC    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

No.  63  BLEECKER  STREET 

1896. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1896,  by 

ROBERT  G.  KISSICK, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress. 


AH  rights  reserved. 


PRESS  OF 

EDWARD  O.  JENKINS'  SON, 
NEW  VORK. 


SRLF 
URi. 


TO 
MRS.    HENRY  WARD   BEECHER 

THE    AGED    AND    BELOVED    FRIEND    OF    MY    FAMILY 

QHn'js  33ook 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED 


CONTENTS. 


PAGK 

PREFACE 7 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 19 

SCRIPTURAL  REFERENCES 22 

MORTAL  AND  IMMORTAL 26 

MASONRY 28 

CHAPTER  I. 
JEREMIAH 31 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM 43 

CHAPTER  III. 
JEREMIAH'S  VISION 55 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  GOLDEN  IMAGE 63 

CHAPTER  V. 

EOCH  AID 73 

CHAPTER  VI. 

ISHMAEL 83 

CHAPTER  VII. 
EGYPT 92 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGE 

THE  ARK  OF  THE  COVENANT 101 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  ANCIENT  NINE 1 1 1 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  DUNGEON 119 

CHAPTER  XI. 
DEATH  OF  MYRA 127 

CHAPTER  XII. 
TARA 137 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
DEATH  OF  JEREMIAH  AND  BARUCH 146 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
CYRUS 151 

CHAPTER  XV. 
BELSHAZZAR 162 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
DANIEL l68 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  PROPHETS..  *78 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
MONOTHEISM —  • 185 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
LIBERTY  TO  THE  CAPTIVES 194 


PREFACE. 

ON  Tuesday,  Dec.  20,  1881,  the  Rev.  George  W. 
Greenwood  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  First  Identity 
Church  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  council  was  composed 
of  the  Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  D.D.,  Rev.  J.  F.  Halsey, 
D.D.,  Rev.  William  James  and  the  Rev.  George  Nixon. 
The  founding  of  the  church  was  in  order  to  prove  the 
identity  existing  between  the  Lost  Tribes  of  the  Chil- 
dren of  Israel  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  The  identifi- 
cation is  completed  when  we  compare  the  pages  of  the 
"  Heir  of  the  World,"  edited  by  George  W.  Green- 
wood, and  the  "  Forty-seven  Identifications  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons  with  the  Lost  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,"  by 
Edward  Hine,  with  Holy  Writ. 

When  Jacob  blessed  Joseph's  children,  he  created  by 
that  act  the  Thirteenth  Tribe,  making  Ephraim  many 
mighty  nations  and  Manasseh  a  great  people.  The 
term  Ephraim  is  synonymous  with  Joseph  ;  that  is,  we 
speak  of  them  as  one,  from  the  fact  that  Ephraim  in- 
herited the  birthright,  while  Manasseh,  the  Thirteenth 
Tribe,  was  destined  to  become  a  great  people.  If  we 
examine  Revelations  we  shall  find  that  at  the  time  of 
the  sealing  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  of  the  Children  of 

(7) 


8  PREFACE. 

Israel  Dan  is  cast  out,  and  in  the  place  of  Dan  is 
Manasseh. 

Thus  you  see  that  the  blessing  by  Jacob  was  an 
inspiration  of  Divine  Providence,  for  there  must  be 
twelve  tribes,  and  if  Dan  was  to  be  cast  out,  then  there 
must  be  a  thirteenth  tribe  to  make  the  twelve  good. 
Just  the  same  as  in  the  case  of  the  twelve  disciples. 
Judas  Iscariot  was  cast  out,  and  Matthias,  or  the  thir- 
teenth disciple,  was  appointed  to  fill  his  place.  Having 
made  clear  the  relative  position  of  the  two  lads,  let  us 
compare  the  Scriptures  with  accepted  history  and  see 
how  far  the  prophecies  have  been  fulfilled.  First,  they 
were  to  be  a  multitudinous  people  ;  strong  in  power ; 
speaking  another  tongue ;  an  island  nation  having  large 
colonies ;  a  monarchy,  and  a  Christian  people.  This  is 
Ephraim. 

Now,  whenever  we  find  Manasseh,  we  must  find 
them  according  to  Scripture,  "  a  great  people,"  hav- 
ing come  out  and  separated  themselves  from  the 
house  of  Ephraim,  bearing  the  same  name  and  iden- 
tity, speaking  the  same  language,  bearing  the  same 
cross,  and  proclaiming  the  same  Christianity.  "  The 
children  that  thou  shalt  have,  after  thou  hast  lost  the 
other,"  says  Isaiah.  What  other?  Why,  the  house  of 
Manasseh,  or  "the  great  people,"  for  these,  under 
divine  blessing,  were  all  she  could  ever  lose,  and 
although  few  in  number  at  the  time  of  separation, 
could  never  be  conquered. 


PREFACE.  9 

Ephraim's,  or  England's  peculiar  characteristic,  even 
unto  this  day,  is  in  pronouncing  the  letter  H,  conse- 
quently the  first  war  between  Ephraim  and  Manasseh, 
"  the  great  people,"  resulted  disastrously  for  Ephraim, 
as  it  did  in  all  her  future  battles  with  that  nation, 
which  is  known  not  only  as  Manasseh,  but  Gilead.  The 
Ephraimites  sent  a  spy  into  the  camp  of  Gilead,  but  he 
was  immediately  detected,  "  for  they  say  unto  him, '  Say 
now  Shibboleth,'  and  he  said  'Sibboleth,'  for  he  could 
not  frame  to  pronounce  it  right."  "  Then  they  took 
him  and  slew  him  at  the  passage  of  Jordan,  and  there 
fell  at  that  time  of  the  Ephraimites  forty  and  two  thou- 
sand." Thus  Ephraim,  "  the  many  mighty  nations," 
has  never  been  able  to  overcome  Manasseh,  "  the  great 
people."  Some  few  weeks  ago,  an  Englishman,  fresh 
from  London,  came  into  my  office,  and  during  the  course 
of  conversation  said  he  had  friends  living  in  Art  and  Al- 
sey  streets,  meaning  Hart  and  Halsey.  Thus  he  spoke, 
because  he  could  not  frame  to  pronounce  the  H. 

The  blessings  that  followed  these  two  great  nations 
were :  First,  they  should  be  a  pushing  people.  "  His 
glory  is  like  the  firstlings  of  his  bullock."  (This  is  why 
we  call  England  John  Bull.)  "  His  horns  like  the  horns 
of  the  Unicorn,  with  them  they  shall  push  the  people 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  and  they  are  "  the  thousands 
of  Manasseh,  and  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim."  You 
will  notice  that  the  horns  of  the  Unicorn  were  given  to 
the  two  lads. 


IO  PREFACE. 

Now  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  after  the  Pilgrims  set- 
tled down  in  Massachusetts,  Oliver  Cromwell  knocked 
off  one  of  the  horns  of  the  British  Unicorn,  and  since 
that  time  it  has  been  represented  with  only  one  horn. 
A  great  many  people,  in  reading  the  Scriptures,  when 
they  see  the  house  of  Israel  mentioned,  think  they  are 
the  Jews,  and  also  that  Israel  means  the  Church,  yet 
nowhere  in  the  Bible  is  Israel  mentioned  as  the  Church, 
but  always  as  a  nation.  Paul  says,  "  When  I  am  with 
the  Jews,  I  am  as  a  Jew,  and  when  I  am  with  the 
Greeks,  I  am  as  a  Greek,  but  I  am  neither;  I  am  an 
Israelite  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin."  How  easily  Peter 
was  recognized  as  a  Galilean.  "Thou  art  a  Galilean," 
said  the  maid,  "  and  thy  speech  betrayeth  thee." 

So  you  see  the  Israelites  kept  themselves  separated 
from  the  Jews,  even  in  the  days  of  Christ,  and  this  pas- 
sage of  Scripture  will  throw  great  light  upon  it,  viz. : 
"  Now  Jesus  walked  no  more  openly  with  the  Jews,  but 
went  away  to  a  city  called  Ephraim,  and  dwelt  with 
His  disciples."  Having  shown  you  the  difference  be- 
tween the  Israelites  and  the  Jews,  let  us  see  what  differ- 
ence there  is  in  the  prophecies  concerning  them. 

The  house  of  Judah  is  composed  of  two  tribes, 
viz.:  Judah  and  Levi,  and  they  are  the  Jews  of  the 
present  day,  having  never  lost  their  name  nor  their 
identity,  and  who  are  to-day  living  under  the  Law  of 
Moses,  and  the  curse  of  their  own  prayer.  Jeremiah 
says  of  them  that  they  should  always  retain  their 


PREFACE.  I I 

name  and  identity,  under  the  Mosaic  law,  without 
a  government,  and  strangers  tolerated  in  all  foreign 
countries. 

How  different  the  prophecies  concerning  Israel.  Un- 
known in  name,  a  multitudinous  people,  strong  in  pow- 
er, speaking  another  tongue,  many  mighty  nations,  and 
a  Christian  people.  Seven  hundred  and  twenty-five 
years  B.C.  the  house  of  Israel  went  into  the  Assyrian 
captivity,  from  which  they  have  never  returned.  Six 
hundred  and  six  years  B.C.  the  house  of  Judah  went 
into  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and  were  held  seventy 
years,  after  which  they  were  liberated  by  Cyrus  and 
became  a  dependency  up  to  the  year  seventy  A.D.,  when 
Titus  besieged  Jerusalem.  They  were  then  overthrown 
and  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven,  even  unto 
this  day. 

The  tribe  of  Benjamin  separated  themselves  from 
the  house  of  Israel  and  united  with  the  house  of 
Judah,  and  we  find  the  design  of  this  union  in  First 
Kings.  Judah  was  to  reject  Christ,  yet  he  had  chosen 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  this  city  was  in  Benjamin's 
territory,  and  contained  the  temple  as  well  as  the 
throne  of  David,  which  was  to  have  an  heir  until  Shi- 
loh  came,  and  as  Judah  refused,  Benjamin  was  selected, 
as  all  of  the  disciples  were  Benjaminites,  save  Judas 
Iscariot. 

In  the  year  70,  when  Titus  besieged  Jerusalem,  the 
Christians  made  their  escape,  and  ancient  writers  say 


12  PREFACE. 

they  were  all  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  The  walls  were 
ordered  to  be  battered  down,  after  which  the  army 
retired  to  rest,  and  during  this  time  the  Benjaminites 
all  made  their  escape,  and  when  Titus  called  his  com- 
manding general  to  an  account  he  was  speechless.  In 
this  we  find  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah  literally  fulfilled, 
when  he  says:  " Oh,  ye  children  of  Benjamin,  gather 
yourselves  together  and  flee  out  of  the  midst  of  Jeru- 
salem, for  evil  appeareth  out  of  the  north,"  and  in  ful- 
fillment of  this  very  prophecy  the  Benjaminites  escaped 
and  afterward  entered  England. 

The  tribe  of  Dan  were  a  seafaring  people,  owning  from 
Joppa,  fifty  miles  south,  on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  and  controlling  nearly  all  the  shipping  since 
the  days  of  David  ;  consequently  a  large  number  of  them 
had  immigrated  to  Ireland,  and  were  known  as  Danites. 

David's  sceptre  had  ruled  over  Israel  up  to  the 
time  of  the  Babylonish  captivity,  when  Zedekiah  had 
his  eyes  put  out,  and  his  sons  killed  before  him,  but 
he  had  two  daughters,  the  beautiful  princess,  Tea 
Tephi,  and  Myra,  who  remained  in  Jerusalem,  and  were 
saved  alive.  When  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  were  released 
from  the  dungeon  by  order  of  Nebuchadnezzar  they 
found  them,  and  also  secured  the  ark  of  the  covenant, 
the  tables  of  the  law  which  were  in  the  ark,  and  Jacob's 
Pillar,  and  boarding  one  of  Dan's  ships  went  to  the 
province  of  Ulster,  in  Ireland  ;  and  here  ancient  Irish 
history  comes  majestically  to  our  relief,  for  it  is  an  in- 


PREFACE.  13 

disputable  historical  fact  that  in  580  B.C.  there  arrived 
in  the  North  of  Ireland  a  Hebrew  princess  whose  name 
was  Tea  Tephi,  and  she  was  accompanied  by  two  men, 
one  of  whom  was  a  prophet. 

From  this  time  a  new  era  was  enacted  under  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  who  are  the  Danites.  The  name  of  the 
city  was  changed  from  Lothair  Crofin  to  Tara,  a  He- 
brew word,  signifying  the  law  of  the  two  tables ;  and 
history  informs  us  that  Eochaid,  the  king,  married  the 
princess,  with  the  consent  of  the  prophet,  providing  he 
would  renounce  his  false  religion  and  worship  the  God 
of  the  Hebrews. 

We  follow  the  long  line  of  Irish  kings  and  queens 
down  through  the  centuries,  until  the  kingdom  is  over- 
thrown to  Scotland,  and  from  Scotland  down  through 
the  ages,  until  we  see  its  final  overthrow  to  England, 
which  fulfills  the  prophecy  of  Ezekiel,  viz. :  "  I  will 
overturn,  overturn,  overturn  it,  and  it  shall  be  no  more 
until  he  comes  whose  right  it  is,  and  I  will  give  it  to 
him,"  and  in  fulfillment  of  this  very  prophecy,  we  find 
the  kingdom  overturned  from  Jerusalem  to  Ireland, 
once  ;  from  Ireland  to  Scotland,  twice ;  and  from  Scot- 
land to  England,  three  times,  whose  right  it  is. 

Thus  we  trace  the  genealogy  of  Queen  Victoria  back 
to  Zedekiah,  the  king  of  Jerusalem,  "for  know  ye  not 
that  God  made  a  covenant  with  David,  by  a  pinch  of 
salt,  that  the  seed  of  Judah  should  reign  over  the  house 
of  Israel  forever." 


14  PREFACE. 

Oliver  Cromwell  was  called  to  the  throne  by  Eng- 
land, and  never  knew  till  the  day  of  his  death  why  he 
refused  the  sceptre.  The  reason  was,  he  belonged  to 
the  tribe  of  Manasseh.  The  coronation  stone  is  one  of 
the  curiosities  of  Westminster  Abbey.  It  is  underneath 
the  coronation  chair,  and  all  of  the  kings  and  queens 
of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland  have  been  crowned 
upon  it,  from  Tea  Tephi  to  Victoria.  This  is  Bethel, 
or  Jacob's  Pillar,  and  was  carried  from  Jerusalem  to 
Ireland  by  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  at  the  time  they 
planted  the  second  empire.  The  ark  of  the  covenant 
they  hid  until  Judah  shall  go  before  Israel  into  Jerusa- 
lem and  acknowledge  Christ  as  king. 

If  we  examine  some  of  the  prophecies  concerning 
Manasseh  we  shall  find  them  truly  wonderful.  God 
had  said  to  this  thirteenth  tribe  of  the  children  of 
Israel  that  He  would  guard  them  as  the  eagle  guardeth 
her  young,  and  so  when  they  settled  down  to  independ- 
ence they  placed  the  eagle  upon  their  banner  with 
thirteen  stars.  They  filled  it  up  with  the  stripes,  for  it 
is  written,  "by  His  stripes  are  we  healed." 

The  great  seal  of  the  United  States  is  still  more  curi- 
ous. This  was  suggested  by  Sir  John  Bart,  an  English- 
man, to  John  Adams,  American  Minister  to  the  Court 
of  St.  James,  and  adopted  by  Congress  in  1782.  On 
the  obverse  side  we  have  an  eagle,  and  in  his  beak  a 
scroll,  with  the  motto,  "  E.  Pluribus  Unum,"  one  out  of 
many,  as  Manasseh  was  taken.  Over  the  head  of  the 


PREFACE.  I 5 

eagle  is  a  bank  of  clouds,  and  we  have  the  prophecy, 
"  I  will  be  a  cloud  round  about  you,  in  camp  and  out." 
There  is  a  parting  in  the  cloud,  and  we  see  thirteen 
stars,  or  the  number  of  the  tribe.  In  his  right  talon  is 
an  olive  branch,  a  symbol  of  peace,  and  in  his  left  talon 
a  bundle  of  thirteen  arrows.  If  we  turn  the  seal  over 
and  look  at  the  reverse  side,  we  find  it  still  more  won- 
derful, for  here  we  have  the  Egyptian  pyramid.  Over 
the  top  of  the  pyramid  is  an  all-seeing  eye,  with  the 
motto,  "  He  prospers  our  beginning."  Under  the  pyr- 
amid is  the  motto,  "A  new  era  in  the  ages."  Now, 
when  we  come  to  think  that  Manasseh,  the  thirteenth 
tribe,  which  is  represented  on  our  flag  and  on  our 
great  seal,  was  born  in  Memphis,  at  the  foot  of  the  pyr- 
amids, we  cannot  fail  to  see  how  wonderfully  prophecy 
and  providence  agree. 

The  prophecies  concerning  Israel  were  that  they 
should  possess  the  gates  of  their  enemies ;  they  should 
reign  over  many  nations,  but  no  nation  should  reign 
over  them  ;  they  should  have  the  heathen  for  an  inheri- 
tance ;  they  should  be  a  Sabbath-keeping  people  ;  they 
should  take  their  national  oath  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ; 
they  should  preach  the  gospel  to  every  nation,  kindred, 
tongue,  and  people,  and  that  they  should  finally  join 
hands  with  Judah  to  possess  Palestine.  There  are  but  two 
nations  on  earth  to-day  that  meet  all  of  these  require- 
ments, viz.,  England  and  the  United  States.  England 
has  never  been  conquered  by  a  Gentile  power.  They 


1 6  PREFACE. 

hold  the  gates  of  their  enemies  from  Gibraltar  to  the 
China  Sea. 

Lord  Wellington,  with  a  small  army,  withstood  near- 
ly the  entire  forces  of  the  Continent.  They  prevailed 
against  Russia  in  the  Crimean  war;  they  opened  the 
ports  of  China,  with  her  450,000,000;  while  heathen 
India,  with  her  250,000,000,  comes  under  the  British 
flag;  and  with  her  fifty-six  colonies,  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  the  Feejee  Islands,  and  her  own  islands,  she 
owns  nearly  one-quarter  of  the  entire  earth  and  controls 
one-sixth  of  all  the  inhabitants.  And  yet,  mighty  as 
England  was  and  is,  she  found  her  armies  too  weak  to 
conquer  the  half-clothed,  half-fed  Pilgrims  and  Puritans 
that  had  entered  the  promised  land,  and  had  raised 
their  banner  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

Again,  England's  coat  of  arms  is  nine  lions  and  a 
unicorn.  The  unicorn  was  added  when  the  Norman 
conquerors  invaded  England,  which  are  supposed  to  be 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  "  For  then  will  I  turn  the 
people  to  a  pure  language,  that  they  may  worship  God 
with  one  consent."  There  are  six  languages  in  the 
Christian  world  to-day  that  are  powerful,  viz.,  English, 
Russian,  German,  French,  Spanish,  and  Italian ;  but 
transplant  any  of  them,  except  the  English  language, 
and  they  will  die.  Look  at  the  vast  sea  of  cosmopolitan 
languages  that  have  been  transplanted  to  the  United 
States,  and  where  are  they  now?  They  sleep  the  sleep 
that  knows  no  resurrection,  for  the  children  cannot 


PREFACE.  I/ 

speak  the  mother  tongue.  In  the  English  language  we 
have  about  one  thousand  Hebrew  roots,  and  hence  it  is 
written,  "With  stammering  lips,  and  in  another  tongue, 
will  He  speak  to  His  people." 

Sharon  Turner,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Anglo-Saxons," 
says :  "  The  Anglo-Saxons  made  their  appearance  in 
Media  seven  centuries  before  Christ ;  but  that,  accord- 
ing to  Herodotus,  Media  was  not  their  cradle,  but 
Palestine."  And  he  adds :  "  My  sole  object  is  to  give  a 
true  solution  to  the  difficult  question,  Who  were  the 
ancestors  of  the  Anglo-Saxons?"  This  is  an  important 
point,  from  the  fact  that  in  tracing  the  Saxons  back  to 
Media,  we  find  it  to  be  the  exact  place  and  time  that 
the  house  of  Israel  went  into  the  Assyrian  captivity, 
and  if  we  call  to  our  aid  some  of  the  ancient  writers,  we 
can  prove  that  the  Saxons  came  from  that  part  of  the 
country  where  Israel  was  lost,  and  that  our  forefathers 
occupied  the  northwestern  part  of  Asia  in  the  days  of 
Christ,  and  that  He  sent  His  disciples  into  these  very 
places  to  declare  unto  them  freedom  from  the  Mosaic 
law. 

After  the  Israelites  were  carried  into  the  Assyrian 
captivity,  they  remained  in  Media  until  Christ  came, 
for  you  remember  He  said  to  His  disciples,  "Go  not  into 
the  ways  of  the  Gentiles,  nor  into  any  of  the  cities  of 
the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not,  but  go  rather  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,"  which  fulfills  the  prophecy, 
"  Yet  doth  He  devise  means  that  His  banished  be  not 


1 8  PREFACE. 

expelled  from  Him."  From  Media  they  went  into 
Pamphylia,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Lydia,  and  Bithyania, 
for  we  have  the  testimony  of  Josephus  in  the  year  70 
A.D.,  that  the  two  tribes,  viz.,  Judah  and  Levi,  were 
captured  by  Titus,  but  the  ten  tribes  were  beyond  the 
river  Euphrates,  an  immense  number  of  people.  Here 
they  waited  redemption  from  the  Mosaic  law.  Christ's 
mission  on  earth  was  to  redeem  Israel,  for  He  says,  "  I 
am  not  sent,  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel." 

Under  the  Mosaic  law  Paul  finds  them,  and  tells 
them  of  a  crucified  and  risen  Redeemer,  and  frees 
them  from  the  law.  This  is  why  we  are  keeping  the 
first  day  instead  of  the  seventh.  Again  Paul  tells  them 
to  avoid  foolish  questions  and  genealogies,  and  endless 
fables,  and  from  that  point  of  time  they  lose  all  trace 
of  their  genealogy  and  become  a  distinct  people.  Thus 
we  see  prophecy  fulfilled  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  viz. : 
Unknown  in  name,  speaking  another  tongue;  in  fact, 
the  little  stone,  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands, 
which  became  a  great  mountain,  and  filled  the  whole 
earth.  THE  AUTHOR. 


The  works  examined,  to  which  I  am  deeply  in- 
debted, are  Herodotus,  Josephus,  Rollins,  Chambers, 
Hine  and  the  voluminous  parts  of  the  "  Heir  of  the 
World,"  from  which  the  pages  of  this  Preface  were 
compiled. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 

A  LARGE  majority  of  church  members  to-day  were 
accepted  by  those  bodies  on  a  profession  of  faith  while 
in  their  youth,  and  hence  it  arises  that  the  Bible  has 
become  a  neglected  book,  simply  because  the  people 
have  accepted  the  teachings  of  their  pastors  and  Sab- 
bath-school teachers,  without  a  thorough  examination 
into  all  of  the  laws  and  the  prophets  concerning  Judah 
and  Israel.  These  have  been  spiritualized  by  them 
until  they  have  to  a  large  extent  lost  their  true  mean- 
ing ;  while  the  commentaries,  by  their  inaccuracies, 
have  become,  like  old  medical  works,  worse  than  useless. 

Instead  then  of  accepting  any  author  as  a  guide,  go 
directly  to  the  Scriptures,  and,  like  an  astronomer,  care- 
fully weigh  in  the  balance  every  thought  put  forth  by 
the  prophets,  and  thereby  become  a  commentary  unto 
yourselves  (i)  I  Thes-.  v.  20.  I  have  examined  the 
Scriptures  carefully,  and  append  the  following  preface, 
giving  the  distinctions  which  exist  between  the  house 
of  Judah  and  the  house  of  Israel.  Israel  was  to  be 
"  unknown  in  name  "  (2)  Is.  Ixv.  15.  "A  multitudinous 
people  "  (3)  Hos.  i.  10.  "  Strong  in  power  "  (4)  Is.  xli.  12. 
"  An  island  nation  having  large  colonies "  (5)  Is.  xli. 
1-8,  and  "  A  Christian  people  "  (6)  Rom.  ix.  4.  Judah 

(19) 


2O  AUTHOR'S   PREFACE. 

was  to  be  "without  a  government"  (7)  Jer.  xvii.  4. 
"  Strangers  tolerated  in  all  foreign  countries  "  (8)  Jer. 
xv.  4.  "Under  the  Mosaic  law"  (9)  Rom.  ii.  17,  and 
"  should  always  be  known  as  a  curse,"  while  Israel,  "  his 
servant,  should  be  called  by  another  name  "  (10)  Is. 
Ixv.  15. 

It  will  be  noticed,  secondly,  that  the  Commandments 
were  given  to  Israel,  and  that  wherever  she  is  found  she 
must  be  found  with  not  only  her  church  but  also  her 
government  founded  upon  them.  St.  Paul  says,  "  When 
the  Gentiles  who  have  not  the  law"  (n)  Rom.  ii.  14, 
proving  conclusively  that  we  are  not  Gentiles,  because 
we  have  the  law,  and  not  only  that,  but  our  govern- 
ment is  b.ased  on  all  of  the  laws  embodied  in  the  Ten 
Commandments. 

In  giving  testimony  in  a  court,  we  take  our  oath  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  (12)  Ex.  xxii.  n,  and  again  we 
were  charged  not  to  give  false  evidence  (13)  Ex.  xxiii.  I. 
So  England  and  the  United  States  swear  in  court  to 
give  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth,  so  help  them  God,  and  also  make  perjury  a  state 
prison  offense.  Israel  went  into  the  Assyrian  captiv- 
ity, from  which  they  have  never  returned  (14)  2  Kings 
xvii.  23.  Judah  did  return  as  seen  by  (15)  Neh.  vii.  6. 
Israel  lost  her  genealogy  (16)  Titus  iii.  9,  and  remained 
under  the  law  until  John  (17)  Luke  xvi.  16,  and  then 
went  away  to  an  island  home  to  establish  a  kingdom  (18) 
Is.  xlii.  10-12,  (19)  Jer.  xxxi.  10. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  21 

The  islands  would  become  too  small,  and  they  would 
lose  Manasseh  (20)  Is.  xlix.  20.  They  should  push  the 
people  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
American  Indians  (21)  Deut.  xxxiii.  17,  and  should  be 
saved  through  Christ  (22)  Rom.  xi.  26.  Again,  Judah 
should  always  reign  over  Israel  (23)  Ps.  cxxxii.  n,  (24) 
2  Chron.  xiii.  5,  xxi.  7.  Ephraim  must  be  a  multitude 
of  nations,  while  Manasseh  would  become  a  great  people 
(25)  Gen.  xlviii.  19,  they  should  possess  the  gates  of 
their  enemies  (26)  Gen.  xxiv.  60.  They  should  never 
be  conquered  (27)  Is.  xli.  8-12.  They  should  have  the 
heathen  for  an  inheritance  (28)  Ps.  cv.  44.  Christ  was 
not  sent,  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel 
(29)  Matt.  xv.  24,  while  all  of  her  children  must  be 
taught  of  the  Lord  (30)  Is.  liv.  13.  Wherefore  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  shall  keep  the  Sabbath  for  a  sign  between 
me  and  them  (31)  Ex.  xxxi.  17. 

Again,  wherever  we  find  the  quail  and  honey-bee, 
there  we  find  Israel,  as  they  are  as  distinctly  marked 
out  for  Israel  as  the  frog  and  locust  were  for  Egypt. 
God  brought  the  quail  to  Israel  while  they  wandered 
in  the  wilderness,  and  the  whole  country  was  filled  with 
wild  honey.  So  in  like  manner  the  quail  and  honey  bee 
follow  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  will  go  no  farther  than  he 
goes.  Not  until  the  first  white  man  crossed  the  Mis- 
souri river  would  the  first  swarm  of  bees  cross.  "  Thus 
it  came  to  pass,  that  when  the  Indians  saw  a  bee,  they 
went  home  to  their  wigwams  to  sound  the  alarm.  The 


22  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

white  man  is  among  us,  and  we  must  leave  the  graves 
of  our  fathers  and  depart."  These  are  God's  witnesses 
for  signs  and  for  wonders,  and  belong  to  Israel  only. 
Books  might  be  written  upon  the  identification  of  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel  and  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
but  I  leave  the  reader  to  examine  the  Scriptures  care- 
fully, after  which  "  let  every  one  be  fully  persuaded  in 
his  own  mind." 

SCRIPTURAL    REFERENCES. 

(1)  Thess.  v.  20 — "  Despise  not  prophesyings.'' 

(2)  Is.  Ixv.  15 — "And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  for  a 
curse   unto  my  chosen ;  for  the  Lord   God   shall   slay 
thee,  and  call  His  servants  by  another  name." 

(3)  Hos.  i.  10. — "Yet  the  number  of  the  children    of 
Israel  shall  be  as  the  sands  of  the  sea,  which  cannot  be 
measured   nor   numbered  ;   and  it  shall   come  to  pass, 
that  in  the  place  where  it  was  said  unto  them,  '  Ye  are 
not  my  people,'  there  it  shall  be  said  unto  them,  '  Ye 
are  the  sons  of  the  living  God.' " 

(4)  Is.  xli.  12 — "They  that  war  against  thee,  shall  be 
as  nothing,  and  as  a  thing  of  naught." 

(5)  Is.  xli.  1-8 — "  Keep  silence  before  me,  O  islands, 
and  let  the  people  renew  their  strength."     "  But    thou, 
Israel,  art  my  servant,  Jacob  whom  I  have  chosen,  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  my  friend." 

(6)  Rom.  ix.  4 — "  Who  are  Israelites,  to  whom   per- 
taineth  the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the  covenants, 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  23 

and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of  God,  and 
the  promises." 

(7)  Jer.  xvii.  4 — "  And  thou,  even  thyself,  shalt  discon- 
tinue from  thine  heritage,  that  I  gave  thee ;  and  I  will 
cause   thee  to  serve   thine   enemies,  in  the  land  which 
thou    knowest    not ;  for  ye  have   kindled  a  fire  in  mine 
anger  which  shall  burn  forever." 

(8)  Jer.  xv.  4 — "  And  I  will    cause    them    to   be   re- 
moved into  all  kingdoms  of  the  earth." 

(9)  Rom.  ii.  17 — "  Behold,  thou  art  called  a  Jew,  and 
restest  in  the  law." 

(10)  Is.  Ixv.  1 5 — "  And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  for 
a  curse  unto  my  chosen  ;  for  the  Lord  God  shall  slay 
thee,  and  call  His  servants  by  another  name." 

(n)  Rom.  ii.  14 — "For    when   the   Gentiles    which 
have  not  the  law." 

(12)  Ex.  xxii.  ii — "Then  shall  an  oath  of  the  Lord 
be  between  them  both." 

(13)  Ex.    xxiii.    i — "Thou    shalt   not    raise   a   false 
report ;  put  not  thine  hand  with  the  wicked  to  be  an 
unrighteous  witness." 

(14)  2  Kings  xvii.  23 — "  So  was  Israel   carried   away 
out  of  their  own  land  to  Assyria  unto  this  day." 

(15)  Neh.  vii.  6 — "These   are   the   children    of   the 
province  that  went  up  out  of  the  captivity  of  those  that 
had   been    carried    away ;   whom   Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
King  of  Babylon,  had  carried  away,  and  to  Judah,  every 
one  unto  his  own  city." 


24  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

(16)  Titus  iii.  9 — "But  avoid  foolish   questions   and 
genealogies,  and  contentions,  and  striving   about   the 
law." 

(17)  Luke  xvi.  16 — "The  law  and  the  prophets  were 
until  John." 

(18)  Is.  xlii.  12 — "Let   them   give   glory    unto    the 
Lord  and  declare  His  praise  in  the  islands." 

(19)  Jer.  xxxi.  10 — "  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  O 
ye  nations,  and  declare  it  in  the  isles  afar  off,  and  say, 
'  He   that   scattered    Israel   will   gather  him,  and  keep 
him  as  a  shepherd  doth  his  flock.'  " 

(20)  Is.  xlix.  20 — "  The    children   which   thou    shalt 
have   after  thou   hast  lost  the  other,  shall  say  again  in 
thine  ears,  '  The  place  is  too  strait  for  me ;  give  place 
to  me  that  I  may  dwell.'  " 

(21)  Deu.  xxxiii.  17 — "  His  glory  is  like  the  firstling 
of  his  bullock,  and  his  horns  are  like  the  horns  of  uni- 
corns, with  them  he  shall  push  the  people  together  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and   they  are  the  ten  thousands 
of  Ephraim,  and  they  are  the  thousands  of  Manasseh." 

(22)  Rom.  xi.  26 — "And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved." 

(23)  Ps.  cxxxii.  II — "The  Lord  hath  sworn  in  truth 
unto   David  He  will  not  turn  from  it ;  of  the  fruit  of 
thy  body  will  I  set  upon  thy  throne." 

(24)  2    Chron.   xiii.  5  ;   xxi.    7 — "Ought   ye   not    to 
know   that  the  Lord  God  of  Israel   gave  the  kingdom 
over  Israel  to  David    forever,   even  to  him  and  to  his 
sons   by  a  covenant    of  salt."     "  Howbeit    the    Lord 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  25 

would  not  destroy  the  house  of  David,  because  of  the 
covenant  that  He  had  made  with  David,  and  as  He 
promised  to  give  a  light  to  him  and  to  his  sons  forever." 

(25)  Gen.  xlviii.    19 — "  And  his  father  refused,  and 
said,  '  I  know  it,  my  son,  I  know  it ;    he  also  shall  be- 
come a  people,  and  he  also  shall  be  great ;    but  truly 
his  younger  brother  shall  be  greater  than  he,  and  his 
seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of  nations." 

(26)  Gen.  xxiv.  60 — "  And  let  thy  seed  possess  the 
gate  of  those  which  hate  them." 

(27)  Is.   xli.  8-12 — "  But   thou,    Israel,  are  my  ser- 
vant."    "  Fear  thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee."     "  They 
that  strive  with  thee  shall  perish. "   "  They  that  war  with 
thee  shall  be  as  nothing  and  as  a  thing  of  naught." 

(28)  Ps.  cv.  44 — "  And  gave  them  the  lands  of  the 
heathen,  and  they  inherited  the  labor  of  the  people." 

(29)  Matt.  xv.  24 — "  But  He  answered  and  said,  '  I 
am   not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel.' " 

(30)  Is.  liv.  13 — "And    all    thy   children    shall    be 
taught  of  the  Lord ;  and  great  shall  be  the  peace  of 
thy  children." 

(31)  Ex.  xxxi.    17 — "It  is  a  sign  between  me,  and 
the  children  of  Israel  forever;  for  in  six  days  the  Lord 
made  heaven  and  earth,  and  on  the  seventh  He  rested, 
and  was  refreshed." 


In  Matthew's  Bible,  published  at  Antwerp  in  1740, 


26  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

we  find  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  second  book  of 
Chronicles  the  following  verse  : 

"  And  now  I  have  sent  a  wyse  man,  and  a  man  of  un- 
derstandynge,  called  Hiram  Abi,  and  is  the  sonne  of  a 
woman  of  the  daughters  of  Dan,  whobeit,  hys  father  was 
a  Tirian." 

Coverdale's  Bible,  of  1535,  speaks  of  him  as  Abif, 
hence  we  can  see  at  a  glance  that  the  craft  has  re- 
tained the  correct  name. 

MORTAL — IMMORTAL. 

Herodotus  tells  us  that  prior  to  Menes,  King  of 
Egypt,  the  world  was  governed  by  immortals.  This 
statement  is  borne  out  by  the  Genesis  history  of  crea- 
tion, as  the  sixth  chapter  of  Genesis  proves  conclu- 
sively that  the  flood  (which  was  universal)  came  to 
pass  through  the  intermarriage  of  mortal  with  immor- 
tal. These  are  distinguished  as  the  Sons  of  God  and 
the  daughters  of  men.  The  Sons  of  God  are  known  in 
the  Scriptures  as  children  born  to  Adam  after  the  so- 
called  fall  of  man,  for  upon  the  birth  of  Cain  (the  first 
child  born  unto  her  after  the  transgression),  Eve  ex- 
claimed, "  I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord  "  ;  and 
again  at  the  birth  of  Seth  she  said,  "  God  hath  ap- 
pointed me  another  seed  instead  of  Abel,  whom  Cain 
slew."  This  fact  is  again  borne  out  by  the  language  of 
the  Almighty,  who  exclaims,  "  Behold,  the  man  is  be- 
come as  one  of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil."  Man  has 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  27 

now  passed  from  immortal  to  mortal,  and  immediately 
a  Saviour  is  promised,  which  elevates  them  to  the  sub- 
lime position  of  being  designated  as  the  Sons  of  God. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  earth  was  densely  inhabited 
by  the  posterity  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  were  immortal, 
in  the  fact  that  they  were  void  of  knowledge,  and  of  a 
sense  of  right  or  wrong,  and  death  had  not  been  pro- 
nounced upon  them,  in  that  man  had  not  sinned. 

This  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  Adam  called  his 
wife's  name  Eve,  because  she  was  the  mother  of  all  the 
living ;  and  again  Cain  says,  "  It  shall  come  to  pass 
that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall  slay  me."  From 
this  race  Cain  took  his  wife ;  consequently,  we  came 
through  the  loins  of  Seth.  From  the  day  of  Adam's 
transgression  to  the  day  of  his  death  was  930  years. 
Prior  to  that  time  he  may  have  lived  for  thousands  of 
years,  as  no  age  can  be  assigned  to  immortality.  We 
have  now  two  distinct  races  :  mortal  and  immortal, 
and  hence  it  follows  that  the  intermarriage  produced 
a  race,  with  death  and  without  death  ;  with  the  law 
and  without  the  law ;  with  a  Redeemer  and  without  a 
Redeemer,  and  this  state  of  affairs  brought  forth  from 
Job  the  exclamation,  "  Now,  what  can  the  Almighty 
do  for  them  ?  " 

Again  they  became  a  race  of  serpent  worshipers, 
as  can  be  proven  by  the  construction  of  their  mounds 
throughout  the  earth ;  and  again  Job  says,  "  Hast 
thou  marked  the  old  way  which  wicked  men  have 


28  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

trodden,  whose  foundations  were  overthrown  with  a 
flood?"  David  says,  "I  have  said  ye  were  gods,  but 
ye  shall  die  like  men."  Hence,  the  first  command- 
ment, "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  Me," 
was  apropos  to  that  period.  After  the  crucifixion  of 
Christ  they  ceased  to  become  the  torments  of  men. 
In  1st  Peter  iii.  19,  20,  we  find  the  proof  of  this. 
"  By  which,  also,  He  went  and  preached  unto  the 
spirits  in  prison,  which  sometime  were  disobedient, 
when  once  the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days 
of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  preparing,  wherein  few,  that 
is  eight  souls,  were  saved  by  water."  Hence,  being 
baptized  by  water,  means  obedience  to  Christ. 

(Thau.)  MASONRY.  (Triad.) 

Masonry  was  founded  upon  the  great  fiat  of  the 
Almighty,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light." 
It  was  founded  upon  the  sacred  number  three,  which 
extends  back  into  eternity,  and  carries  us  on  the  waves 
of  time  forward  toward  eternal  progression.  When  God 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  called  into  existence  the 
great  solar  and  stellar  system,  He  divided  the  hundreds 
of  millions  of  stars  that  He  had  created  into  triangles, 
each  three  being  a  trinity  in  themselves.  When  He 
created  the  earth,  He  also  created  two  great  lights,  the 
greater  light  to  rule  the  day  and  the  lesser  light  to  rule 
the  night.  He  divided  the  world  into  three  distinct 
elements,  viz.,  earth,  air,  and  water.  He  called  into  ex- 
istence three  states  of  matter,  viz.,  animal,  vegetable, 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE.  29 

and  mineral.  He  created  man,  and  endowed  him  with 
soul,  body,  and  spirit. 

Masonry  is  represented  by  the  Holy  Bible,  square, 
and  compasses.  The  oracles  were  transmitted  to  Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japhet ;  thence  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob ;  thence  to  King  Solomon,  Hiram  king  of  Tyre, 
and  Hiram  Abif ;  still  onward  to  the  final  secretion  of 
the  ark  of  the  covenant  by  Jeremiah  the  prophet, 
Baruch  the  blessed,  and  Eochaid  the  prince. 

Again,  masonry  is  divided  into  three  grand  divisions, 
viz.,  Lodge,  Chapter,  and  Commandery.  These  are 
divided  into  three  degrees  each. 

We  begin,  first,  by  bearing  an  uncut  piece  of  granite 
from  the  quarry ;  second,  by  bearing  the  ark  of  the 
covenant ;  and,  third,  by  bearing  the  cross.  We  look 
on  Calvary,  and  we  behold  Christ  dying  between  two 
thieves  ;  again  we  look,  and  we  see  Him  traveling  toward 
Emmaus  between  two  disciples ;  but  in  the  third  and 
most  sublime  degree,  we  see  three  men,  Peter  and 
John  and  James,  behold  the  glory  of  Our  Lord,  for  now 
He  is  standing  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  between 
two  saints — Moses,  to  represent  the  law,  and  Elias,  the 
prophets.  Hence  the  parable,  "  If  they  hear  not  Moses 
and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded, 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  "  Sun,  moon,  and 
stars,  pyramid,  tabernacle,  temple;  Shem,  Job,  Mel- 
chizedek  ,  man,  angel,  Christ ,  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit." 
"  So  mote  it  be.'* 


THE  IRISH  PRINCE  AND  HEBREW  PROPHET. 


CHAPTER   I. 

JEREMIAH. 

The  Pit. 

IN  a  dark,  narrow  dungeon,  underneath  the  king's 
palace  in  Jerusalem,  two  men  had  been  confined  for 
treason  against  the  Jewish  kingdom.  These  men  had 
been  especially  ordained  by  God  to  tear  down,  through 
a  long  and  eventful  career,  and  at  its  close  to  build 
again,  the  kingdom  of  a  lost  and  nameless  race.  Prior 
to  this  time  there  had  been  two  others  who  had  in 
their  youth  cried  out  against  the  Jews,  and  they  also 
had  been  carried  into  captivity ;  hence,  it  came  to  pass 
that,  at  the  opening  of  this  story,  the  four  men  were 
all  confined  within  the  walls  of  their  captors.  The  two 
who  were  confined  in  the  prison  at  Jerusalem  were 
Jeremiah  the  prophet  and  Baruch  the  blessed.  The 
two  who  were  in  captivity  under  Nebuchadnezzar  were 
Daniel,  who  was  'in  Babylon,  and  Ezekiel,  who  was  in 
Mesopotamia. 

For  years  prior  to  this  time  Jeremiah  had  been  per- 
secuted by  the  kings  of  Jerusalem,  because  he  had 
urged  them  to  deal  honorably  with  Nebuchadnezzar, 

(31) 


32  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

the  king  of  Babylon,  and  thus  save  the  city  and  temple 
from  destruction.  But  they  had  not  only  beaten  him, 
but  cast  him  into  prison  ;  and  from  his  confinement  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  which  was  recorded 
by  his  faithful  scribe,  and  immediately  transmitted  to 
the  king.  "  Now  when  Jehudi  had  read  three  or  four 
leaves,  he  cut  it  with  his  penknife,  and  cast  it  into  the 
fire."  Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  the  Seer, 
and  again  he  commanded  Baruch  to  write,  saying,  "  The 
king  of  Babylon  shall  certainly  come,  and  destroy  the 
land,  and  shall  cause  to  cease  from  thence  man  and 
beast." 

When  Zedekiah  became  king,  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  again  to  Jeremiah,  saying,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
He  that  remaineth  in  the  city  shall  die  by  the  sword, 
by  the  famine,  and  by  the  pestilence ;  but  he  that 
goeth  forth  to  the  Chaldeans  shall  live."  "  Therefore 
the  princes  (or  king's  sons)  said  unto  the  king,  '  We  be- 
seech thee,  let  this  man  be  put  to  death,  for  he  weak- 
eneth  the  hands  of  the  men  of  war.'  "  And  hence  there 
arose  a  cry  throughout  all  Jerusalem,  "  Death  to  the 
traitor."  Baruch  had  finally  been  apprehended  as  an 
accessory  to  the  fact,  and  he  too  had  been  cast  into  the 
dungeon  with  his  Godly  companion. 

Within  the  city  a  strange  and  unusual  commotion 
agitated  the  people.  Zedekiah  the  king  had  formed 
an  unholy  alliance  with  the  king  of  Egypt ;  he  had 
broken  faith  with  Nebuchadnezzar,  insomuch  that 


JEREMIAH.  35 

Jerusalem  was  encompassed  by  the  Chaldean  hosts, 
and  had  been  in  a  state  of  siege  for  eighteen  months. 
To  add  to  the  horror  of  the  situation,  famine  and  pesti- 
lence were  rampant  throughout  the  city,  destroying  the 
Jews  by  the  thousands ;  and  to  make  the  situation  still 
more  deplorable,  the  bodies  of  the  victims  all  had  to  be 
entombed  within  the  walls  of  the  city. 

"  This  is  the  last  day  of  the  eighteenth  month  since 
our  city  has  been  encompassed  by  the  Chaldeans,"  said 
Baruch,  after  the  door  of  the  dungeon  had  closed  upon 
them. 

"  'Tis  well,"  said  Jeremiah.  "  The  end  is  at  hand. 
Had  our  king  obeyed  the  voice  of  the  prophets,  Jeru- 
salem might  have  been  saved,  but  now,  alas,  it  is  too 
late ;  the  city  will  be  destroyed,  the  temple  burned,  and 
the  holy  vessels  carried  away  to  Babylon." 

"  Good  faith,"  said  Baruch,  "  our  king  little  dreams 
of  the  power  of  the  monarch  of  Babylon,  else  he  would 
not  urge  the  people  on  to  combat.  God  hath  revealed 
to  me  these  three  years  past  that  Judah  is  on  the 
borders  of  its  death-struggle,  and  that  Zedekiah  is  its 
last  king." 

"  But,"  said  Jeremiah,  "  know  ye  not  that  God  made 
a  covenant  with  David,  by  a  pinch  of  salt,  that  the 
seed  of  Judah  should  reign  over  the  house  of  Israel  for- 
ever?" 

"  I  know,"  said  Baruch,  "  that  we  read  it  in  the  Holy 
Parchment ;  but  where  are  they  now  ?  Since  the  day 


36  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

they  went  into  the  Assyrian  captivity,  they  have  been 
as  completly  lost  as  though  they  had  never  existed." 

"  That  is  true,  and  will  remain  true,  till  all  things  are 
fulfilled,  for  they  were  to  lose  their  name  and  identity, 
speak  another  tongue,  and  evangelize  the  world ;  and 
Ezekiel,  who  is  crying  aloud  in  his  captivity  in  Mesopo- 
tamia, says  that  this  can  be  accomplished  only  after  they 
have  been  overthrown  three  distinct  times. 

11 '  But  the  day  cometh,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will 
bring  again  the  captivity  of  my  people  Israel  and  Judah, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the 
land  that  I  gave  to  their  fathers,  and  they  shall  possess 
it.'  Isaiah  prophesied  more  than  one  hundred  years 
ago  that  they  would  have  an  island  home,  establish 
again  a  kingdom,  and  be  as  in  the  days  of  our  fathers 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  a  God-fearing  people.  He 
also  prophesied  that  a  man  called  Cyrus  would  rise  up 
and  liberate  the  Jews." 

"  Ah,  Isaiah  was  grand  even  in  death.  My  grand- 
father stood  by  his  side  on  the  morning  of  his  execu- 
tion. On  that  morning  he  was  one  hundred  years  old, 
and  he  exclaimed,  '  Trust  ye  in  the  Lord  forever,  for 
in  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  everlasting  strength.'  This 
was  reported  to  Manasseh  as  high  treason.  The  king 
abhorred  his  oracle,  and  ordered  him  sawn  asunder. 
In  that  same  hour  the  Assyrian  hosts  swooped  down 
upon  the  city,  and  Manasseh  was  taken  prisoner,  bound 
in  fetters,  and  carried  captive  into  Babylon." 


JEREMIAH.  37 

I  have  often  thought  it  would  have  been  a  grand 
sight  to  have  seen  Isaiah,  Amos,  and  Hosea,  in  King 
Hezekiah's  palace  on  the  morning  that  he  brought 
them  together,  to  sanctify  the  house  of  the  Lord.  The 
Lord  brought  Judah  low  because  of  Ahaz,  the  king. 
He  persecuted  the  prophets,  cut  in  pieces  the  holy 
vessels  of  the  temple,  and  shut  the  doors  of  the  house 
of  our  God. 

"  And  what  think  you,"  said  Baruch,  "  will  become 
of  our  temple,  and  the  holy  vessels,  if  the  Czar  forces 
the  walls?" 

"  The  temple  will  be  burned,  and  the  vessels  carried  to 
Babylon.  A  curse  will  follow  the  Jews  forever.  They 
will  always  be  known  as  Jews,  never  losing  their  name 
nor  identity.  They  will  remain  under  the  Mosaic  law, 
be  without  a  government,  and  strangers  tolerated  in 
all  foreign  countries,  while  Israel  will  be  unknown  in 
name,  speaking  another  tongue,  many  mighty  nations, 
and  a  religious  people,  with  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  as  their  leader,  for  the  Israelite  Hosea  has  al- 
ready prophesied  '  That  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  in 
the  place  where  it  was  said  "  ye  are  not  my  people," 
there  it  shall  be  said,  "  ye  are  the  sons  of  the  living 
God." 

"  Good  faith,"  said  Baruch.  "  I  believe  that  if  the 
Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  came  to-day,  he  would  be 
cast  into  prison,  and  condemned  to  death  without  a 
trial." 


38  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

"When  Shiloh  comes,"  said  Jeremiah,  "he  must 
come  through  the  seed  of  David.  He  will  come  to  his 
own,  but  they  will  not  receive  him.  He  will  then  go 
to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  While  they 
are  lost  to  us  through  the  Assyrian  captivity,  they  will 
be  found  by  him,  and  freed  from  the  Mosaic  law. 
But  hark !  hear  ye  not  the  tramp  of  soldiers  coming 
down  the  passage  ?  " 

At  this  moment  the  door  of  the  dungeon  was  thrown 
open  and  four  men  entered  the  cell.  The  foremost 
one  amongst  them  carried  a  taper  in  one  hand  and  a 
strong  cord  in  the  other.  In  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  prison  was  a  deep  pit,  wherein  was  mire  and  dirt. 
Seizing  the  prophet,  they  drew  him  to  the  edge  of  the 
pit,  then  fastening  the  cord  under  his  arms  they  low- 
ered him  down,  down.  O  God !  Will  the  bottom 
never  be  reached  ?  Yes,  at  last,  for  they  feel  the  cord 
yield,  until  they  are  sure  that  Jeremiah  has  sunk  to 
rise  no  more.  Then  they  throw  the  cord  in  after  him 
and  depart,  leaving  Baruch  alone. 

As  soon  as  the  echo  of  the  footsteps  of  this  band  of 
murderers  had  died  away,  Baruch  arose  and  felt  his 
way  cautiously  towards  the  mouth  of  the  pit.  The 
light  the  soldiers  had  carried  blinded  his  eyes,  and  now 
the  darkness  was  so  great  it  could  almost  be  felt.  Care- 
fully he  crept  along  on  his  hands  and  knees,  until  he 
could  feel  the  side  of  the  chasm  ;  then,  leaning  over  as 
far  as  he  dared,  he  called  out,  "  Jeremiah."  There  was 


JEREMIAH.  39 

no  answer.  Silence,  like  that  of  the  tomb,  had  now 
taken  possession  of  the  dungeon,  that  only  a  few 
moments  ago  was  a  house  of  prayer.  Thinking  his 
companion  was  dead,  he  broke  forth  into  loud  lamenta- 
tions. Again  he  listened,  and  soon  he  heard,  coming 
up  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  his  own  name : 

"  Baruch." 

Again  he  strains  every  nerve  to  catch  the  faintest 
sound  that  might  come  to  him,  as  an  oracle  from 
Jehovah. 

"  Baruch ! " 

"  Here  am  I." 

"  I  am  in  a  horrible  pit  of  miry  clay.  I  am  sunk  up 
to  my  arm-pits,  and  if  I  move  to  free  myself 
I  sink  deeper.  My  hands  are  spread  out  to  increase 
the  surface,  as  I  have  somewhat  to  say.  Are  you 
alone?" 

"  Yes." 

"  You  are  sure  no  one  can  hear  me  but  yourself  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  I  charge  you  to  look  well  to  the  Princess  Tea 
Tephi,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Zedekiah.  Her 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Zephaniah,  the  prophet, 
and  through  her  the  true  line  of  the  house  of  Judah 
will  be  saved.  God  hath  revealed  to  me  that  the  prin- 
cess will  be  saved  alive — and,  Baruch.  The  ark  of  the 
covenant — " 

"  Hist !     Some  one  approaches." 


40  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

The  door  of  the  cell  was  unlocked  and  pushed  open, 
and  the  woolly  head  of  a  stalwart  Ethiopian  peered  into 
the  gloom.  Behind  him  marched  thirty  men,  who  had 
been  commanded  by  the  king  to  rescue  the  prophet 
from  the  pit.  Holding  his  taper  over  the  chasm,  and 
drawing  a  strong  cord  whereon  was  a  noose  from 
underneath  his  tunic,  he  stooped  down  and  bade 
Jeremiah  adjust  it  under  his  arms.  In  this  manner 
he  was  taken  up  from  the  horrible  pit,  and  miry  clay, 
and  his  feet  placed  upon  a  rock.  The  Ethiopian  then 
bade  the  prophet  follow  him,  and  he  was  led  down 
through  the  corridor  to  a  court  in  the  prison,  wherein 
was  a  bath  and  a  change  of  raiment.  The  key  turned 
in  the  lock,  and  he  was  alone. 

The  morning  after  his  escape  from  the  pit,  while  he 
was  in  prayer,  his  door  was  opened  by  the  Ethiopian, 
who  summoned  him  before  the  king.  Jeremiah  knew 
that  Zedekiah  feared  the  Jews,  and  he  was  at  a  loss  to 
understand  by  what  means,  or  to  whose  authority,  he 
owed  his  wonderful  escape.  He  had  heard  the  Jews 
cry  out,  "  Death  to  the  traitor  !  "  when  he  was  urging 
them  to  surrender  to  the  Chaldean  monarch  and  save 
their  families  alive. 

Zedekiah  stood  in  fear  of  the  prophet,  as  well  as  the 
people,  for  well  he  knew  that  he  was  inspired,  and  that 
he  had  trampled  his  inspirations  under  foot.  But  now 
the  time  had  come  when  he  must  inquire  of  God, 
through  one  of  the  prophets. 


JEREMIAH.  41 

As  the  Seer  was  led  by  the  Ethiopian  into  the  third 
entry  of  the  temple,  fear  came  upon  the  face  of  the 
king.  Before  him  stood  God's  anointed.  Would  he 
condemn  him  and  his  family  to  death  ? 

"Jeremiah,"  said  the  king,  "  our  city  has  been  en- 
compassed and  in  a  state  of  siege  for  eighteen  months. 
We  are  groveling  in  the  dust  before  two  other  mon- 
archs.  They  are  pestilence  and  famine.  What  shall  I 
do  to  appease  the  anger  of  the  Lord  ?  " 

"  Have  you  humbled  yourself  in  the  dust  before 
God  ?  "  asked  the  prophet. 

The  king  trembled,  but  answered  him  nothing. 

"  Then,"  said  Jeremiah  after  a  moment's  pause,  "  de- 
liver up  the  city  into  the  hands  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  and 
your  lives  will  be  spared  and  the  city  saved.  Disobey, 
and  the  city  will  be  thrown  down  from  the  foundation 
stones,  the  temple  will  be  burned,  your  sons  will  be 
killed,  and  you  will  be  bound,  hand  and  foot,  in  fetters 
of  brass,  with  sightless  orbs  carried  away  captive  into 
Babylon.  Escape  now,  ere  it  be  everlastingly  too 
late." 

The  king  stood  with  bowed  head  during  this  recital. 
He  would  gladly  follow  the  advice  of  the  Seer,  but  alas ! 
he  feared  the  Jews.  What  would  his  sons  say  if  he 
ordered  the  gates  to  be  thrown  open  ?  They  would 
curse  him  to  his  face.  It  must  not  be.  The  siege  must 
be  endured  to  the  end,  for  God  was  a  God  of  the  Jews 
and  not  of  the  Gentiles.  No,  rather  a  thousand  deaths 


42  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

than  the  betrayal  of  his  countrymen.  Raising  his  eyes, 
he  commanded  that  the  prophet  be  conducted  back  to 
the  court. 

As  the  Seer  stood  alone  once  more,  his  thoughts 
went  back  over  the  past  twenty-four  hours.  God  had 
indeed  mercifully  preserved  him,  and  he  knew  it  was 
for  some  wise  purpose.  Was  he  ordained  by  God  to 
be  the  instrument  in  His  hands  of  setting  up  the  second 
empire  ?  He  knew,  as  Grand  Chaplain  of  the  Mystic 
Brotherhood,  that  should  the  Czar  force  the  walls  the 
ark  would  be  immediately  hid.  No  nation  should  ever 
possess  it,  should  ever  handle  it,  should  ever  see  it, 
save  that  kingdom  that  was  governed  by  the  true  seed 
of  the  house  of  David.  It  must  be  secreted  on  Israel- 
itish  soil. 

But  where  are  they?  Oh,  that  we  might  find  them 
and  bury  these  precious  mementos  of  the  loving  kind- 
ness of  our  God  beneath  their  treasure-house,  to  be 
kept  in  remembrance  by  our  brotherhood  to  the  final 
hour,  when  Judah  should  go  before  Israel  into  Jerusa- 
lem. "  Hark !  Was  that  the  thundering  of  the  tem- 
pest or  the  roar  of  the  chariot  wheels  ?  Great  God ! 
the  hour  has  come,  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  have 
fallen." 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   FALL   OF  JERUSALEM. 

THE  city  of  Jerusalem  at  this  time  had  three  walls 
wherever  it  was  not  impassable  by  valley,  but  wherever 
these  gorges  occurred  it  had  but  one.  It  was  built 
upon  four  hills,  which  were  called  Mount  Zion,  Moriah, 
Acra  and  BEZETHA.  The  temple  stood  upon  Moriah, 
while  the  palace  occupied  Mount  Zion.  The  principal 
valley  was  called  Siloam,  which  by  interpretation 
means  "  Sweet  Water."  The  outsides  of  the  four  hills 
were  surrounded  by  deep  valleys,  and  by  means  of  these 
precipices  were  everywhere  impassable  ;  consequently, 
there  was  but  one  wall,  which  was  built  by  David  and 
Solomon,  who  were  exceedingly  particular  about  the 
strength  of  this  fortification. 

The  second  wall  began  at  the  gate  Gennath  and  en- 
compassed the  whole  northern  part  of  the  city.  The 
third  wall  began  at  the  tower  Hippicus,  passing  on  be- 
yond the  sepulchres  of  the  kings  to  the  monument  of 
the  Fuller  and  joined  the  old  wall  in  the  valley  of 
Cedron. 

The  old  wall,  with  its  battlements  and  turrets,  was 
37  feet  high  and  30  feet  broad,  built  of  square  stone,  as 

(43) 


44  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

solid  as  the  wall  itself.  In  these  towers  were  chambers 
of  great  magnificence.  On  the  third  wall  were  ninety 
of  these  towers,  on  the  middle  wall  forty,  and  on  the 
old  one  sixty.  The  third  wall  was  the  strongest  and 
most  magnificent,  being  105  feet  high,  and  from  the 
summit  Arabia  was  plainly  to  be  seen  as  well  as  the 
whole  possessions  of  the  Hebrews  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea  westward.  The  whole  compass  of  the  city 
was  33  furlongs,  and  it  was  considered  impregnable 
against  all  of  the  hosts  of  the  Eastern  empires. 

The  temple  was  the  grandest  house  ever  erected  on 
earth,  and  hence  the  pride  of  the  Jews.  On  three 
sides,  beginning  in  the  valley,  the  walls  were  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  .feet  high,  built  of  the  purest  marble,  cut 
in  blocks  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  long,  and  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  broad.  There  were  engaged  in 
building  this  magnificent  temple  to  our  God  "  thirty 
thousand  men,  who  worked  by  courses  of  ten  thousand 
per  month.  Among  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  there  were 
seventy  thousand  who  bore  burdens,  and  there  were 
eighty  thousand  stone  cutters  in  the  quarries.  Over 
these  were  three  thousand  three  hundred  officers." 

This  building  was  fashioned  so  nicely  in  the  quarries, 
and  among  the  cedars,  "  that  there  was  neither  hammer 
nor  axe,  nor  any  other  tool  of  iron  heard  in  the  house 
while  it  was  building."  It  covered  twelve  acres  of 
ground,  which  represented  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel.  The  oracle  for  the  reception  of  the 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM.  45 

ark  of  the  covenant  was  thirty  feet  long,  thirty  feet 
broad,  and  thirty  feet  high,  overlaid  with  pure  gold. 
The  floor  was  laid  with  plates  of  gold ;  in  fact,  the 
whole  house,  both  within  and  without,  was  overlaid 
with  gold.  In  the  oracle  were  two  cherubims,  each 
fifteen  feet  high,  with  wings  seven  and  a  half  feet  out- 
stretched, so  that  each  wing  touched  the  other  at  the 
centre  and  the  wall  on  either  side.  These  were  overlaid 
with  pure  gold,  as  was  also  the  whole  room,  both  floor 
and  ceiling,  together  with  the  walls,  the  whole  being 
carved  with  palm  trees,  pomegranates,  flowers,  and  lilies. 
"  Moreover,  he  made  a  great  throne  of  ivory,  and  over- 
laid it  with  pure  gold,  while  twelve  lions  in  pure  gold, 
of  life  size,  steod  upon  the  six  steps  and  round  about 
the  throne." 

This  cunning  craftsmanship  was  from  the  subtle 
hands  of  our  Grand  Master,  Hiram  king  of  Tyre, 
whose  father  was  a  Tyrian,  and  whose  widowed  mother 
was  an  Israelite  of  the  house  of  Naphtali,  and  Hiram 
Abif,  whose  father  was  a  Tyrian,  and  whose  widowed 
mother  was  an  Israelite  of  the  house  of  Dan. 

"  These  were  all  made  according  to  the  will  of  Solo- 
mon." 

There  were  two  pillars  of  brass,  more  beautiful  and 
more  valuable  than  any  of  the  golden  ornaments.  The 
height  was  twenty-seven  feet,  and  the  circumference 
eighteen  feet.  There  were  small  palms  made  of  brass, 
covered  with  lily  work,  to  which  were  hung  two  hun- 


46  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

dred  pomegranates  in  two  rows,  hanging  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom  of  each  pillar.  These  were  placed  at  the 
entrance  of  the  porch,  the  one  on  the  right  and  the 
other  on  the  left.  They  were  named  Jachin  and  Boaz, 
which  denoted  strength  and  beauty.  The  network  of 
lilies  and  pomegranates  denoted  unity,  peace  and  plenty. 
There  were  seven  golden  steps  leading  up  between 
these  two  pillars  and  the  outer  court,  which  had  written 
in  letters  of  brass  seven  distinct  interpretations,  viz., 
the  seven  Sabbatical  years ;  the  seven  wonders  of  the 
world ;  the  seven  years  of  famine ;  the  seven  years  of 
plenty;  the  seven  planets;  the  seven  sciences,  viz., 
grammar,  rhetoric,  logic,  arithmetic,  geometry,  music, 
and  astronomy ;  and,  lastly,  the  seven  years  occupied 
in  building  the  temple. 

The  ark  of  the  covenant  was  placed  on  the  ivory 
throne  in  the  oracle.  This  was  made  by  Bezaleel, 
under  the  supervision  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  It  was 
three  feet  nine  inches  long,  two  feet  three  inches  broad, 
and  two  feet  three  inches  high.  It  was  overlaid  within 
and  without  with  pure  gold,  with  a  crown  of  gold  round 
about  it.  There  were  also  four  golden  rings  in  each 
corner.  Within  the  ark  were  the  two  stone  tablets, 
whereon  was  written,  by  the  hand  of  Moses,  the  Ten 
Commandments.  Standing  in  front  of  the  throne  was 
the  grand  golden  table  whereon  were  the  loaves  of  God. 

"  There  were  also  ten  thousand  golden  candlesticks, 
with  candles  that  burned  day  and  night,  round  about 


THE   FALL   OF  JERUSALEM.  47 

the  throne,  while  twenty  thousand  golden  censers  car- 
ried incense  to  the  throne,  and  fifty  thousand  carried 
fire. 

"  There  were  ten  thousand  priests,  two  hundred  thou- 
sand trumpeters,  and  two  hundred  thousand  singers. 

"Attached  to  the  temple  was  the  equery,  which  con- 
tained one  thousand  four  hundred  golden  chariots, 
twelve  thousand  horsemen,  and  forty  and  four  thousand 
stalls." 

The  immensity  of  the  temple  can  only  be  conceived 
by  considering  the  tremendous  height  of  the  walls,  the 
number  of  its  stories,  and  a  twelve-acre  surface  to  each 
story. 

"  On  that  day  when  the  temple  was  burned  there 
had  been  twenty-one  kings  over  Israel,  for  a  period  of 
five  hundred  and  fourteen  years,  six  months,  and  ten 
days. 

"  It  was  burned  four  hundred  and  seventy  years,  six 
months,  and  ten  days  after  being  dedicated  ;  one  thou- 
sand and  sixty-two  years,  six  months,  and  ten  days  from 
the  exodus  of  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt ;  one 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty-seven  years,  six  months, 
and  ten  days  from  the  deluge  ;  and  three  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirteen  years,  six  months,  and  ten  days 
from  Adam." 

Zedekiah  sat  on  the  throne  on  that,  the  tenth  and 
last  day,  the  last  king  that  should  rule  over  Judah  until 
all  things  should  be  fulfilled. 


48  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

When  Jeremiah  heard  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  fall,  he 
sprang  up  to  the  grated  window  of  the  new  cell,  where 
he  had  been  taken  after  being  rescued  from  the  pit,  and, 
taking  a  silver  trumpet  from  beneath  his  robe,  gave 
seven  distinct  blasts.  This  was  answered  back  by 
three  times  three.  To  this  the  Seer  answered  by  three. 

Nearly  an  hour  passed  away,  while  the  prophet 
stood  clinging  to  the  bars  of  the  cell,  straining  every 
nerve  to  catch  the  welcome  sound  of  the  silver  trumpet 
he  knew  so  well.  It  must  be  hid;  God  would  not  allow 
it  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Babylonian  monarch. 
At  last  he  hears  the  trumpeter  give  seven  blasts.  He 
immediately  answers  back  with  three  times  three,  and 
receives  the  welcome  three.  Then  he  knows  that  the 
ark  is  hid  by  the  mystic  seven,  who  will  keep  it  in  re- 
membrance for  all  time  ;  and  from  that  hour  the  Jews  will 
say,  "  No  more  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord, 
neither  shall  it  come  to  mind,  neither  shall  they  re- 
member it,  neither  shall  they  visit  it,  neither  shall  that 
be  done  any  more." 

"  Oh,  ye  Jews,  your  ark  has  passed  from  your  keep- 
ing, till  the  blast  of  the  silver  trumpet  shall  call  your 
scattered  remnant  back  to  Jerusalem,  to  witness  the 
fulfillment  of  all  the  laws  and  prophets  concerning 
Israel."  "  Then  shall  ye  look  on  Calvary."  "  Then 
shall  the  trumpet  sound."  "May  the  God  of  our 
fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  sustain  you  until 
that  hour." 


THE   FALL   OF  JERUSALEM.  49 

Thus  spake  the  prophet,  while  to  his  ears  came  the 
roar  of  the  chariot  wheels,  the  thundering  of  the  tem- 
pest, the  blast  of  the  trumpets,  the  shrill  commands  of 
the  victors,  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  dying  as  they 
were  trampled  under  foot  by  the  horsemen  or  cut  down 
by  the  swordsmen. 

"  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the 
prophets  and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee, 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  to- 
gether, even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her 
wings,  but  ye  would  not.  Behold  your  house  is  left 
unto  you  desolate." 

Within  the  royal  palace  all  was  confusion.  The 
prophecies  of  Jeremiah  were  like  thorns  piercing  the 
brain  and  heart  of  the  king.  The  royal  family  had 
been  gathered  together  preparatory  to  a  hasty  depart- 
ure, but  where,  oh  where,  was  Myra  and  the  beautiful 
princess  Tea  Tephi,  the  pet  and  the  pride  of  the  king? 
Her  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Zephania,  and  through 
her  all  of  the  hopes  of  the  king  had  been  centered. 
She  must  be  found  at  all  hazards.  "  Away,  and  bring 
her  before  it  is  too  late." 

But  hark !  the  enemy's  troops  have  forced  an  entrance 
into  the  palace. 

"  Away,  away  !  "  Guided  by  the  faithful  Ethiopian, 
the  family  fled  through  the  secret  passages  into  the 
garden  until  they  entered  the  ditches,  and  through 
them  passed  out  of  the  city  into  the  road  leading  to 


50  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

Jericho.  The  king  looked  back  once  only,  to  see  the 
temple  on  fire,  then  he  hastened  on  to  meet  his  doom. 

Within  the  city's  walls  a  scene  of  desolation,  carnage, 
ruin,  and  bloodshed,  such  as  had  never  been  witnessed 
before,  was  being  enacted.  The  Jews,  already  weak- 
ened by  famine  and  pestilence,  were  in  no  condition  to 
encounter  the  stalwart  warriors  of  the  Babylonish 
monarch. 

Waving  his  sword  on  high,  the  captain  of  the  host 
shouted  the  war  cry,  which  was  echoed  back  by  his 
victorious  chieftains. 

The  Jews  knew  not  where  to  fly  for  refuge.  The  mer- 
chant prince  and  the  beggar  were  now  all  at  the  mercy 
of  the  conqueror.  Resistance  was  useless  against  the 
fierce  charge  of  the  cavalry,  who  spared  neither  young 
nor  old  ;  all  went  down  under  the  flashing  swords  and 
spears  of*  the  victorious  hosts.  Every  avenue  of  escape 
was  now  closed,  while  the  streets  were  choked  with  the 
bodies  of  men,  women,  and  children  who  had  attempted 
to  flee  before  the  maddened  throng.  The  tempest 
which  had  come  down  upon  the  city  when  the  walls 
fell  was  now  sweeping  the  blood  of  the  victims  into 
the  ditches,  until  there  flowed  out  of  Jerusalem  rivers 
of  blood. 

The  temple  was  pillaged,  and  now  there  went  up  a 
cloud  of  flame  and  smoke  that  carried  consternation 
from  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  the  Dead  Sea ;  yea,  from  the 
river  Euphrates  even  unto  the  Mediterranean. 


H 

o 
S 

Cd 


THE   FALL   OF  JERUSALEM.  53 

At  this  moment  a  howl  went  up  from  the  palace. 
"The  king  has  escaped."  "Pursue  him,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, and  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry  they  dashed  out 
through  the  gates  of  the  city  toward  Jericho.  Onward 
they  flew  over  the  rocky  and  mountainous  passes,  while 
onward  Zedekiah  and  his  family  were  pressing.  Could 
they  reach  Jericho? 

"  Too  late ! "  They  hear  the  shouts  of  the  con- 
querors as  they  come  thundering  down  the  mountain- 
ous road,  and  then  they  hear  the  command,  "  Halt ! " 

"  Alas,  alas  !  "  Why  had  he  not  heeded  the  words 
of  Jeremiah?  "  Now  it  was  too  late."  Swords  flash  on 
high,  steel  clashes  steel,  until  they  are  all  borne  down 
and  bound  hand  and  foot,  to  be  carried  captive  into 
Riblah. 

And  now  the  dethroned  king  is  commanded  to 
mount,  and  the  whole  body  ride  away,  to  enter  into  the 
presence  of  the  Chaldean  monarch,  whom  the  fallen 
king  had  so  ruthlessly  betrayed.  "  Halt !  "  It  was  the 
voice  of  Nebuchadnezzar  who  thus  commanded.  "  Die !" 
and  at  his  command  swords  flash  in  the  reddening  glare 
of  the  western  sunset,  his  wives,  his  sons,  his  daughters, 
all  are  swept  out  of  time  into  the  presence  of  Judah's 
God. 

And  now  there  comes  the  final  scene  that  must  be 
enacted  to  fulfill  all  the  laws  and  the  prophets,  before 
Zedekiah  is  bound  hand  and  foot,  in  fetters  of  brass,  to 
be  carried  away  into  Babylon. 


54  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

Look  now,  O  ye  king,  for  the  last  time  over  the  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  with  honey,  that  the  Lord  thy 
God  gave  to  thy  fathers  for  an  inheritance.  Look  now, 
O  king,  towards  Jerusalem,  and  behold  the  pyre  of  thy 
throne  and  the  destruction  of  thy  kingdom.  Behold 
for  the  last  time  the  glories  of  the  universe  and  the 
wonderful  works  of  the  children  of  men.  The  sun  sinks 
to  rest,  and  as  he  looks  his  eyes  are  closed  for  ever. 


CHAPTER  III. 

JEREMIAH'S  VISION. 

PALESTINE  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Syria,  on 
the  south  by  Edom,  on  the  east  by  Bashan,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Jerusalem  was  situ- 
ated in  Benjamin's  territory,  on  the  extreme  west.  It 
was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Ephraim,  on  the  south 
by  Judah,  on  the  east  by  Benjamin,  and  on  the  west  by 
Dan.  Dan's  territory  ran  west  to  the  coast  of  the  Med- 
iterranean Sea,  while  Benjamin's  extended  east  to  the 
shores  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  River  Jordan  connected  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  on  the  north  with  the  Dead  Sea  on  the 
south,  being  a  straight  line  one  from  the  other,  about 
sixty  miles,  although  the  windings  of  the  river  made 
the  distance  very  much  farther.  The  distance  from 
Jerusalem  then  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee  was  something 
over  sixty  miles.  East  of  Jerusalem  some  twenty 
miles  lay  the  Dead  Sea,  while  directly  south  twenty 
miles  lay  Hebron,  the  home  of  Abraham. 

Jericho  lay  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  being  two 
hours'  journey  from  Jordan  and  six  hours'  journey 
from  Jerusalem.  Southeast  of  the  city  lay  Bethany, 
one-half  hour's  journey,  while  Bethlehem  lay  directly 

(55) 


56  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

south  about  five  hours'  journey.  Northwest  from  Jerusa- 
lem lay  Mizpah,  a  two  hours'  journey,  on  the  road  to 
Lydda,  and  thence  to  Joppa,  Lydda  being  situated 
about  half  way  between  Joppa  and  Jerusalem.  The 
Mount  of  Olives  was  situated  east-northeast  from  Jeru- 
salem and  commanded  a  magnificent  view  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country.  Nazareth  was  situated  in 
Zebulon's  territory,  fifteen  miles  west  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  and  sixty  miles  north  of  Jerusalem. 

From  the  day  that  Israel  went  into  the  Assyrian 
captivity  up  to  the  day  that  Jerusalem  was  taken  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
years,  six  months,  and  ten  days ! 

When  Jeremiah  awoke  the  next  morning  after  the 
battle  he  experienced  a  sense  of  relief,  in  that  Jerusa- 
lem had  been  taken  by  the  Chaldean  monarch.  Already 
Gedaliah  had  been  appointed  Governor  over  Jerusalem, 
while  thousands  were  being  bound  to  be  transported  to 
Babylon.  The  word  of  the  Lord  had  come  to  Jere- 
miah during  the  night  concerning  Ebed  Melech,  the 
Ethiopian,  declaring  him  to  be  free,  in  that  he  had  put 
his  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  the  Seer  had  determined  in 
his  own  mind  that  should  he  be  liberated  from  prison 
he  would  immediately  take  him  under  his  care  and 
protection.  He  knew  that  he  would  prove  faithful,  even 
unto  death.  He  knew  now  that  he  owed  his  life  to  the 
Ethiopian,  for  it  had  been  revealed  to  him  in  a  dream. 
He  saw  him  standing  before  Zedekiah,  pleading  for  his 


JEREMIAH'S  VISION.  57 

life  and  saying  that  the  men  had  done  evil  who  had 
cast  him  into  the  pit.  He  saw  in  his  dream  the  counte- 
nance of  the  king  change  and  he  heard  the  command, 
"  Take  thirty  men  and  rescue  him." 

Then  the  Lord  revealed  to  him  that  He  would  not 
only  spare  the  life  of  the  Ethiopian,  but  He  would 
make  him  an  instrument  of  much  good  in  the  work  of 
transplanting  Judah  over  Israel.  Then  his  thoughts 
went  out  after  the  princess.  That  she  was  in  the  city 
he  had  no  doubt,  but  where  was  she  lodging?  Would 
she  be  treated  as  becomes  the  king's  daughter,  or  would 
she  be  bound  and  cast  into  prison  ?  He  knew  that 
Nebuchadnezzar  would  show  no  mercy  towards  any  of 
the  king's  family,  and  if  he  heard  that  any  of  them  were 
hid  in  Jerusalem  he  would  set  the  hounds  after  them, 
and  if  necessary  pursue  them  even  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  But  he  would  put  his  trust  in  the  Lord.  God 
would  not  forsake  him  nor  bring  his  prophecies  to 
naught.  "  Kings  for  time,  but  God  for  eternity."  Neb- 
uchadnezzar was  God's  servant,  but  he  had  yet  to 
bow  his  neck  to  the  yoke.  The  Son  of  God  would 
appear  to  him  in  the  fiery  furnace  and  he  would  ac- 
knowledge that  Jehovah  ruled,  but  pride  and  vanity 
would  send  him  forth  for  seven  years  to  eat  grass  like 
the  oxen  before  he  would  bow  down  before  Israel's 
God. 

Then  bowing  himself  before  his  grated  window  he 
yielded  himself  up  to  prayer,  and  behold  the  flood-gates 


$8  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

of  the  light  of  the  New  Jerusalem  burst  forth  over  the 
prison.  The  prophet  was  talking  face  to  face  with  an 
angel  of  the  Lord.  There  was  a  sound  as  of  the  rush- 
ing of  mighty  waters,  the  prison  trembled  from  its 
foundation  stones,  the  bolts  of  the  doors  shot  back  from 
their  sockets,  the  massive  bronze  gates  flew  open,  while 
the  keepers  fell  on  their  faces  as  if  struck  down  by  the 
thunderbolts  of  Divine  wrath. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him.  He  saw  in  his 
vision  "  the  Lord  our  Righteousness  "  appear  among 
them,  he  saw  Him  reviled  and  rejected,  he  saw  Him 
sweat  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  in  the  garden,  he 
saw  Judas  the  Jew  betray  Him  for  thirty  pieces  of 
silver  into  the  hands  of  a  mock  court,  he  saw  Peter,  one 
of  the  disciples  Christ  loved,  raise  his  hands  on  high 
and  swear  he  never  knew  Him,  he  saw  Pilate  call  for 
water  to  wash  his  hands  from  the  stains  of  blood  that  the 
fires  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  furnace  could  not  purify.  He 
saw  Him  crowned  with  thorns,  spit  upon,  smote  in  the 
face  and  nailed  to  the  cross.  He  saw  the  spear  pierce 
His  side,  he  saw  twelve  legion  of  angels  standing  round 
about  the  cross  to  guard  His  body  from  further  vio- 
lence, for  it  had  been  written  "  that  not  a  bone  of  Him 
should  be  broken."  Then  in  his  vision  he  saw  Titus 
besiege  Jerusalem,  he  saw  the  Christians  of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin  escape,  he  saw  millions  of  the  tribe  of  Judah 
and  Levi  slain  and  the  remnant  scattered  to  the  four 
winds  of  heaven.  He  saw  Israel  establish  a  new  throne, 


JEREMIAH'S  VISION.  59 

he  saw  them  bow  down  to  images,  as  Dan  was  wont  to 
do  in  the  days  of  Moses. 

And  now  there  passed  before  him  a  burning  bunch  of 
flax  with  the  words,  "  Holy  Father,"  "  Vicar  of  Christ," 
"  Head  of  the  Church,"  "  Infallibility."  He  saw  this 
power  conferred  on  an  alien,  of  an  alien  kingdom,  that 
God  knew  not  of,  and  then  he  saw  them  bowing  down 
to  images  and  worshiping  the  queen  of  heaven.  He 
saw  the  seven  hills  gain  spiritual  ascendency  over  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  and  then  he  saw  the  Celtic  chieftains,  one 
after  another,  bow  down  to  a  superior  power,  for  the 
kingdom  was  wrenched  from  them  and  given  to  an- 
other. Tara  must  now  become  a  heap,  the  same  as 
their  temple  at  Jerusalem.  Again  he  saw  the  next  em- 
pire overturned  by  the  lion  and  the  unicorn,  and  the 
prophecy  of  Ezekiel  was  fulfilled.  And  now  he  beholds 
a  great  wonder,  for  out  of  the  loins  of  the  lion  and  the 
unicorn  there  comes  a  great  eagle  with  outstretched 
wings,  that  crosses  the  sea  and  plants  the  seed  of  free- 
dom. He  saw  written  on  their  banner,  "we  are  a 
great  people,"  and  then  he  saw  that  it  was  a  haven  of 
rest  for  the  scattered  remnant  of  Judah  and  Levi.  And 
now  he  sees  John  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  and  he  hears 
him  proclaim  to  the  whole  earth  the  names  of  the 
twelve  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel.  Where,  oh 
where  is  Dan  ?  Sunk  to  rise  no  more,  for  in  their 
place  he  hears  the  name  of  Manasseh,  "  the  great  peo- 
ple," who  had  fulfilled  the  pledge,  who  had  preached 


60  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

the  Gospel  to  every  nation,  kindred,  tongue,  and  people, 
and  who  were  now  sealed  to  all  eternity.  And  now 
there  comes  to  his  ears  the  mighty  blast  of  a  trumpet, 
and  he  sees  an  angel  with  a  book  in  his  hands  swear  by 
Him  that  liveth  forever  that  time  shall  be  no  longer, 
while  angels  and  archangels  shout  "  Hosanna  !  " 

When  Jeremiah  awoke  he  was  standing  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Gedaliah,  who  commanded  that  he  be  bound  in 
chains  and  transported  to  Babylon,  but  notwithstand- 
ing the  chains  he  seemed  to  be  walking  on  air,  for  had 
not  God  revealed  to  him  the  beginning  and  the  end. 

As  the  company  passed  out  of  the  city  some  blessed 
him  and  some  cursed  him.  There  were,  however,  those 
who  said  that  if  Zedekiah  had  harkened  unto  the  voice 
of  the  prophet  all  would  have  been  well.  Others  said 
he  was  in  league  with  the  monarch  of  Babylon,  else 
why  would  he  call  that  barbarian  the  servant  of  God. 
Others  lifted  up  their  voices  in  prayer  and  wept  over 
Jerusalem.  They  knew  that  they  were  leaving  their 
home  forever.  Within  the  walls  of  Babylon  were  the 
brick  kilns  ready  for  them,  as  the  mansion  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar would  not  be  completed  in  the  next  forty 
years.  They  knew  that  the  foundation  had  been  laid 
and  that  it  was  a  journey  of  seven  and  one-half  miles 
to  walk  around  it.  Its  height,  when  finished  with  its 
domes  and  turrets,  would  extend  up  to  the  top  of  the 
walls.  Their  doom  was  sealed  forever. 

Then  they  fell  on  each  other's  necks  and  wept  over 


JEREMIAH'S  VISION.  61 

the  fallen  city.  In  this  manner  they  reached  Ramah. 
The  chains  had  galled  the  prophet,  but  he  had  no  word 
of  complaint.  He  looked  upon  the  tired  and  weary 
women  and  children,  who  were  chained  together,  and 
then  he  wept  over  Jerusalem.  The  prophecies  were  as 
sure  to  come  to  pass  as  the  sun  was  to  rise  and  set.  As 
he  stood  thus  apart  from  the  main  body,  Nebuzar  Adan 
approached  him  and  handed  him  a  document.  It  was 
an  edict  from  the  king  of  Babylon,  declaring  him  free 
to  go  to  Babylon  or  to  return  to  Jerusalem. 

As  soon  as  it  was  noised  through  the  city  that  Jere- 
miah had  been  set  free,  there  arose  a  cry  among  the 
Jews,  "  Traitor!  "  Why,  if  he  were  true  to  the  Jews, 
would  Nebuchadnezzar  show  him  any  mercy?  And 
yet  he  had  not  only  been  set  at  liberty,  but  commanded 
that  Baruch  be  released  from  the  dungeon.  If  this 
was  acceded  to,  then  there  was  no  doubt  but  that  they 
had  been  in  communication  during  the  entire  siege. 

Their  criticisms  were,  however,  of  short  duration,  for 
they  were  commanded  to  take  up  their  line  of  march, 
while  Jeremiah  set  his  face  towards  Jerusalem,  as  much 
work  must  be  accomplished  before  the  fulfillment  of  the 
prophecies  could  take  place.  He  had  seen  a  courier 
leave  Ramah,  with  a  parchment  in  his  hand,  and  ride 
rapidly  towards  Jerusalem,  but  he  had  no  thought  that 
the  parchment  was  an  edict  setting  Baruch  at  liberty, 
and  hence  his  surprise,  when  nearing  the  city,  to  meet 
Baruch  in  company  with  the  Ethiopian.  They  must 


62  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

hasten  now  to  the  king's  tomb,  and  look  to  the  wel- 
fare of  Myra  and  Tea  Tephi.  Instead  of  entering  the 
gate  of  the  city,  they  turned  eastward  and  were  soon  go- 
ing up  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Turning  an  angle  in  the 
path,  they  stopped  before  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  It 
was  empty.  Myra  and  Tea  Tephi  had  vanished. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    GOLDEN    IMAGE. 

BABYLON  was  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  Jerusalem  had 
fallen,  Zedekiah,  the  king,  was  in  a  dungeon,  while  all 
of  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  temple,  and  wherever 
else  found,  had  been  transported  to  the  city.  Nebu- 
chadnezzar was  now  the  richest  man  on  earth,  and  he 
determined  to  celebrate  his  riches  by  building  a  golden 
god,  ninety  feet  high  and  nine  feet  broad. 

Babylon,  at  this  time,  was  the  most  mighty  city  on 
earth,  nor  has  there  been  a  city,  from  that  day  to  the 
present  hour,  that  could  compare  with  it,  either  in 
wealth,  grandeur,  or  population.  This  city  was  found- 
ed by  Nimrod  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  after  the 
Deluge,  or  at  the  same  time  that  he  founded  the  As- 
syrian Empire,  whose  glory  extended  for  fourteen  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  Nimrod  was  the  son  of  Ham, 
"  and  a  mighty  hunter  before  the  Lord." 

He,  together  with  Ashur,  also  founded  Nineveh, 
which  was  built  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Tigris.  Nine- 
veh was  eighteen  and  three-quarter  miles  long  and 
eleven  and  one-quarter  miles  wide,  being  in  the  shape 
of  a  parallelogram.  The  whole  circumference  was  sixty 
miles,  and  thus  spoke  the  prophet  Jonah,  saying : 
"  Nineveh  was  an  exceeding  great  city,  of  three  days' 

(63) 


64  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

journey,"  meaning  that  sixty  miles  was  its  circumfer- 
ence, as  twenty  miles  was  called  at  that  time  a  day's 
journey.  The  walls  were  one  hundred  feet  high  and 
forty  feet  thick.  There  were  upon  the  walls  fifteen 
hundred  fortifications  or  towers  that  extended  up  two 
hundred  feet,  making  the  whole  elevation  at  these 
points  three  hundred  feet. 

Babylon  was  built  on  a  plain,  and  was  exactly  square, 
each  square  being  fifteen  miles  long.  The  walls  were 
three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and  eighty-seven  feet 
thick,  enclosing  a  surface  of  sixty  miles.  These  walls 
were  built  of  brick,  and  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch 
filled  with  water,  and  as  the  earth  was  dug  from  the 
ditch  that  made  the  brick ,  some  conception  of  the 
depth  and  breadth  of  it  can  be  gained  by  considering 
the  height  and  thickness  of  the  walls.  Moreover,  the 
earth  came  from  the  same  ditch  that  made  the  tower 
of  Babel,  which  was  one-half  mile  in  circumference  and 
one-eighth  of  a  mile  high. 

On  each  square  of  the  city  walls  were  twenty-five 
brazen  gates,  that  in  times  of  peace  were  kept  open 
through  the  day  and  closed  at  sunset  every  night.  A 
branch  of  the  river  Euphrates  ran  directly  through  the 
city  from  north  to  south,  having  a  wall  on  either  side. 
In  the  centre  of  the  city  was  a  massive  bridge  that 
crossed  the  river  to  the  old  palace  on  the  east,  and  this 
was  connected  with  the  new  palace  on  the  west  by  an 
arched  passageway  running  under  the  river. 


THE  GOLDEN   IMAGE.  65 

The  old  palace,  founded  and  built  by  Nimrod,  was 
three  and  three-quarter  miles  in  circumference,  while 
the  new  one,  built  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  was  seven  and 
one-half  miles  in  circumference.  The  walls,  or  hanging 
towers,  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world,  were  in 
the  form  of  a  square,  each  side  being  four  hundred  feet, 
and  were  carried  up  by  terraces,  one  above  another,  to 
a  height  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  This  was 
resting  on  massive  arches  of  masonry.  There  were  on 
the  top  of  the  hanging  towers  engines  of  curious  work- 
manship used  for  drawing  water  to  irrigate  the  mighty 
trees  and  shrubs  that  grew  on  each  terrace.  The  Tower 
of  Babel  was  built  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  by  the 
side  of  the  old  palace,  and  was  filled  with  temples  of 
great  magnificence  for  the  worship  of  the  golden  god 
Belus.  The  amount  of  gold  and  silver  dedicated  to 
Belus  was  estimated  at  $105,000,000.  A  sloping  road- 
way ran  to  the  top  in  a  circular  form  on  the  outside  of 
the  tower,  so  that  a  horseman  could  drive  to  the  sum- 
mit as  easily  as  he  could  drive  around  the  city.  The 
foundations  were  laid,  and  the  plans  drawn,  for  the 
tower  to  be  exactly  one-half  mile  in  circumference  and 
one-half  mile  high  ;  but  after  carrying  it  up  forty  rods 
their  language  was  confounded,  and  they  were  scattered 
throughout  the  earth.  The  population  in  the  days  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  is  variously  estimated  at  from  ten  to 
twenty  millions. 

The  gold  that  was  pillaged  from  the  temple  at  Jeru- 


66  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

salem  was  now  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  sculptor,  and 
behold  a  mammoth  god  had  risen  up  in  the  plains  of 
Dura  and  surplanted  the  God  of  the  Hebrews.  Then 
a  herald  cried  aloud,  saying,  "  When  ye  hear  the  sound 
of  all  kinds  of  music,  fall  down  and  worship  the  golden 
image  that  Nebuchadnezzar  has  set  up."  "  And  who- 
soever falleth  not  down  and  worshipeth  shall  the  same 
hour  be  cast  into  the  midst  of  a  burning  fiery  furnace." 

The  sound  of  revelry  began.  The  trumpet  sounded 
over  the  plain,  the  cornet,  the  flute,  the  harp,  and  hun- 
dreds of  other  instruments  rang  out  on  the  morning 
air,  and  every  Chaldean  bowed  his  face  to  the  ground 
and  worshiped.  But  the  Jews,  where  were  they? 

Notwithstanding  their  captivity,  their  thoughts  were 
centered  on  Jerusalem  and  the  temple  erected  to  the 
Most  High  God.  Never  would  they  blaspheme  their 
God  by  bowing  the  knee  to  a  graven  image.  The  com- 
mandments given  to  their  fathers  were  as  sacred  now 
as  they  were  when  Moses  received  them  from  the  Most 
High  God  on  the  Mount. 

When  the  king  learned  that  his  captive  slaves  ig- 
nored his  command  he  was  in  a  towering  passion. 
He  called  them  before  him,  and  thus  he  spake  :  "  You 
are  my  slaves.  Who  are  you,  that  thus  lift  up  your 
voices  against  my  majesty  and  power?  You  shall  bow 
down  and  worship  my  god,  or  you  shall  be  cast  into 
the  furnace.  Now,  obey."  The  Jews  looked  up  at 
the  monarch,  and  then  their  thoughts  went  back  over 


THE   GOLDEN  IMAGE.  67 

the  past  history  of  their  people.  Did  not  God  deliver 
Isaac  on  Mount  Moriah  ?  Did  He  not  deliver  David 
from  the  hands  of  Goliath?  Did  He  not  deliver  Sam- 
son from  the  hands  of  the  Philistines?  "  No,  a  thou- 
sand times  no  ! "  Rather  the  furnace  here  than  here- 
after. 

"  Will  you  bow  ?  "  cried  the  king. 

"  Never ! " 

"  Then,  by  heavens,  ye  die.  What  ho  !  the  furnace  ! 
Bind  these  slaves,  and  who  is  the  God  that  shall  deliver 
them  out  of  my  hands  ?" 

The  three  Jews  were  seized  by  six  stalwart  Chal- 
deans and  thrown,  bound  hand  and  foot,  into  the  fur- 
nace. And  when  the  king  looked,  behold,  the  six  men 
had  fallen  dead  before  the  furnace,  and  were  being 
consumed  by  the  intense  heat.  Seeing  the  men  on  fire 
in  front  of  the  furnace,  he  stooped  down  and  looked  in, 
when  he  sprang  back  as  though  stung  by  a  scorpion. 
Trembling  with  excitement,  he  cried  out,  "  Did  not  we 
throw  three  men,  bound,  into  the  furnace  ?  "  "  True, 
O  king."  "  Lo,  I  see  four  men  loose  walking  in  the 
fire,  and  the  form  of  the  fourth  is  like  the  Son  of  God. 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  Abednego,  come  forth,  and  whoso- 
ever hereafter  sayeth  anything  against  your  God  shall 
be  cut  in  pieces  and  their  houses  shall  be  made  a  dung- 
hill." 

The  miracle  that  Nebuchadnezzar  saw  had  the  same 
effect  upon  him  that  the  death  of  a  loved  one  has  upon 


68  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

us.  It  softens  our  nature  ;  it  sweetens  our  temper  ;  it 
humbles  our  pride ;  it  brings  us  nearer  the  throne. 
But,  alas  !  how  soon  we  forget  the  chastening  rod ; 
how  soon  the  tears  are  dried  up ;  how  soon  we  forget 
God.  In  the  history  of  every  individual  there  come 
up  before  them  scenes  and  incidents  in  their  lives,  that 
are  stereotyped  on  their  memory  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  are  satisfied  they  have  witnessed  the  same 
thing  before,  and  yet  they  know  it  is  simply  a  mat- 
ter of  impossibility.  Where  then  did  they  receive  the 
impression  ? 

To  a  large  number  of  people  this  has  led  to  a  firm 
belief  that  they  have  lived  before  and  passed  through 
those  same  scenes,  and  yet  investigation  demonstrates 
the  fact  that  the  impression  received  at  the  time  is  the 
result  of  a  dream.  A  dream  that  it  would  take  an  hour 
to  relate  will  flash  through  the  brain  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye  ;  and  while  we  may  not  be  able  to  recall  one 
word  of  it,  nevertheless  it  has  left  its  impression  for  all 
time,  and  can  never  be  thoroughly  effaced  from  the 
memory.  This  is  a  personal  identity  which  is  always 
with  us,  and  this  was  what  led  Nebuchadnezzar  to  feel 
that  he  had  dreamed  a  marvelous  dream,  that  had  faded 
away  so  effectually  that  there  was  only  left  within  him 
his  own  personal  identity.  This  feeling  is  joyful  or 
sorrowful,  according  to  the  state  of  the  mind  or  the  phy- 
sical condition  of  the  body.  To  Nebuchadnezzar  it  had 
left  an  impression  of  coming  evil,  and  he  was  anxious 


THE  GOLDEN  IMAGE.  71 

to  know,  not  only  the  dream,  but  the  interpretation 
thereof.  If  he  had  walked  out  to  the  plains  of  Dura, 
and  beheld  for  the  first  time  the  golden  image  he  had 
set  up,  he  would  in  all  probability  have  said  within 
himself,  "  I  have  seen  this  same  thing  before,  but 
where  ? "  And  this  would  have  led  to  a  train  of 
thought,  "  Have  I  not  lived  before  ?  " 

Isaiah  says :  "  For  behold,  I  create  new  heavens  and 
a  new  earth,  and  the  former  shall  not  be  remembered 
nor  come  into  mind." 

There  was  implanted  in  Daniel  a  latent  psychological 
element  that  prayer  developed  into  inspiration,  and  in- 
spiration into  power.  In  fact,  the  mind  of  Daniel  was 
so  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  and  understand- 
ing of  the  will  of  God,  that  he  becomes  to  us  a  living 
monument  of  the  truth  of  prophecy,  and  thus  he  re- 
veals to  the  king  his  dream  of  the  great  image,  and  that 
the  little  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands 
that  smote  the  image  would  become  a  great  mountain 
and  fill  the  whole  world.  "  And  it  shall  stand  forever." 

Again,  the  king  had  a  marvelous  dream,  and  this 
time  the  impression  was  so  deep  that  he  could  relate 
every  word  of  it.  Trembling  with  fear,  he  called  Daniel 
and  from  him  received  his  sentence.  "  They  shall 
drive  thee  from  men,  and  thy  dwelling  shall  be  with 
the  beasts  of  the  field ;  and  they  shall  make  thee  to 
eat  grass  as  oxen,  and  they  shall  wet  thee  with  the 
dews  of  heaven,  and  seven  times  shall  pass  over  thee 


72  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

till  thou  know  that  the  Most  High  ruleth."  One  year 
has  passed  away,  and  the  king  has  forgotten  every 
promise.  Daniel  is  in  trouble ;  for  well  he  knows  that 
the  king,  when  not  puffed  up  with  pride,  has  more 
native  wisdom  than  any  king  who  has  ever  ruled  over 
Babylon.  He  knows  that  Jeremiah  loves  and  respects 
him,  and  has  called  him  the  servant  of  God.  But,  alas  ! 
the  hour  has  come.  The  king  walks  forth,  and,  smiting 
his  chest,  says :  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have 
built,  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  might  of 
my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty."  And 
while  he  yet  spake  there  came  a  voice  from  heaven, 
saying,  "  O  king  Nebuchadnezzar,  thy  kingdom  has 
departed  from  thee."  "  And  in  that  same  hour  he  was 
driven  out,  and  did  eat  grass  like  the  oxen,  and  his 
body  was  wet  with  the  dews  of  heaven  till  his  hairs  were 
grown  like  eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds' 
claws."  The  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  and  Judah's  God 
vindicated. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EOCHAID. 

STANDING  on  the  deck  of  the  ship  Herman,  which 
had  just  entered  the  harbor  of  Joppa,  laden  with  tin 
from  the  north  of  Ireland,  stood  Eochaid,  the  Prince 
of  Wales.  This  ship  was  owned  and  manned  by  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  who  had  settled  in  Ireland  during  the 
reign  of  King  Solomon,  and  had  carried  with  them  the 
secret  signs  and  passwords  of  the  Mystic  Brotherhood. 
Already  there  were  thousands  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  living 
in  Ulster  under  the  name  of  Danauns.  The  youth, 
for  he  was  not  past  two-and-twenty,  bore  the  insignia 
of  a  "  Knight  of  the  East."  He  had  been  knighted  by 
his  father,  Hermon,  the  monarch  of  England,  Scotland, 
Ireland  and  Wales,  prior  to  his  departure  to  the  Orient. 
The  knight  was  taller  than  the  average  youth,  with  a 
contour  that  would  meet  all  the  requirements  of  a  poet 
or  sculptor.  His  muscles  were  hard  and  thoroughly 
developed,  through  training  in  a  school  of  physical  cul- 
ture ;  his  shoulders  were  broad,  his  chest  deep,  his 
movements  agile ;  and  woe  betide  him  who  put  his 
prowess  to  the  test,  either  in  heraldry  or  swordsman- 
ship. The  youth  stood  long  and  thoughtfully  gazing 
at  this  ancient  and  historic  city  and  harbor.  Here  it 

(73) 


74  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

was  that  the  cedars,  which  had  been  so  cunningly  fash- 
ioned, were  floated  down  for  the  building  of  the  holy 
temple  at  Jerusalem.  Here  it  was  that  classical  mytho- 
logy had  chained  Andromeda  to  the  rock  to  be  de- 
voured by  the  sea-monster.  Here  was  a  city,  ancient 
even  at  that  early  period.  Joppa,  which  by  interpretation 
means  beauty,  was  situated  on  the  shore  of  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea,  thirty-three  miles  from  Jerusalem1.  The 
city  was  the  dividing  line  between  Dan  and  Ephraim, 
each  owning  fifty  miles  of  coast.  The  youth  had  heard 
much  of  the  magnificence  of  King  Solomon's  temple 
and  of  the  visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  and  he  won- 
dered if  its  glory  were  wrought  through  the  skill  of 
man  alone,  or  was  he  under  the  inspiration  of  the 
Hebrew  God. 

Why  did  Dan  leave  this  beautiful  climate,  where  the 
orange  and  the  date  grow,  to  live  on  the  ice-bound 
coast  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ?  He  had  read  that  it  was 
in  fulfillment  of  prophecy ;  but  if  this  were  so,  why  did 
they  cast  the  prophets  into  dungeons?  Could  they 
expect  foreign  nations  to  believe  in  a  God  that  they 
themselves  repudiated  ?  While  Moses  was  thundering 
on  the  mount,  Dan  was  worshiping  calves  on  the  plain. 
Was  not  the  power  that  Moses  possessed  the  power  of 
mind  over  matter,  of  reason  over  superstition,  of  educa- 
tion over  ignorance,  of  light  over  darkness?  And  yet, 
why  am  I  here  ?  why  was  I  given  a  power  of  conception, 
reason,  and  understanding  to  lead  my  thoughts  toward 


EOCHAID.  75 

another  life,  if  "  death  ends  all "  ?  To  what  avail  was  the 
magnificent  temple  of  King  Solomon's  wisdom,  if  fifty- 
eight  short  years  buried  it  forever?  "Ah,  the  more  I 
think  the  more  mystified  I  become,  and  yet  I  know 
that  this  grand  design  had  an  author ;  I  know  that  the 
first  man  had  a  Maker ;  I  know  that  the  grand  laws 
that  govern  our  system,  and  move  all  suns  and  worlds 
harmoniously,  had  a  Creator,  and  that  Creator  has 
power  to  create  in  us  a  new  life,  to  continue  on  when 
time  shall  be  no  longer.  Oh,  there  must  be  a  God  in 
Israel,  even  though  He  suffers  them  to  worship  idols 
and  persecute  the  saints.  My  soul  revolts  at  the  idea 
of  an  eternal  sleep.  No,  no ;  God  never  created  man 
without  a  design  as  to  his  future  state.  He  lives  again, 
the  essence  of  divinity,  and  will  go  on,  his  soul  expand- 
ing, his  conceptions  and  aspirations  reaching  out  toward 
a  perfect  day.  Onward  he  goes,  rising  higher  and 
higher,  nobler  and  nobler;  yea,  grander  and  grander, 
until  he  becomes  the  personification  of  God  Himself, 
else  why  was  he  endowed  with  those  principles  and  with 
that  temple  of  thought  and  perception  to  examine  into 
all  the  laws  of  God  ?  He  weighs  the  planets  as  in  the 
balances;  he  determines  eclipses ;  he  fathoms  the  prin- 
ciples and  the  laws.  The  question,  '  If  a  man  die,  shall 
he  live  again?'  would  never  have  been  asked  if  there 
had  not  been  created  within  him  hopes  and  expectations 
that  would  go  on  to  a  realization  of  immortality.  The 
essence  of  divinity  within  us  will  diffuse  itself  through- 


76  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

out  all  eternity,  like  a  grain  of  musk,  that  diffuses  its 
aroma  throughout  every  corner  of  the  house  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  and  yet  it  has  lost  nothing.  The  same 
grain  of  musk  remains,  and  must  remain,  to  all  eternity. 
Not  one  particle  of  matter  can  ever  be  destroyed,  and 
hence  not  one  soul  can  ever  escape  from  its  eternal  en- 
vironments. 

"  Oh,  I  must  see  Jeremiah  ;  he  knows  all  the  mys- 
teries of  immortality.  And  yet,  why  is  he  and  Daniel 
and  Ezekiel  in  captivity  ?  Is  it  because  their  prophe- 
cies are  false  ?  We  will  wait  and  see.  Jeremiah  has 
prophesied  that  Jerusalem  will  fall,  the  temple  will  be 
burned,  and  that  Zedekiah  will  be  carried  in  chains 
captive  into  Babylon.  If  these  things  take  place,  then 
Lord,  I  believe.  '  Hark ! '  what  mean  those  shouts 
from  the  walls  of  Joppa,  and  why  are  they  swarming 
on  the  housetops,  with  their  faces  toward  Jerusalem  ?  " 

Turning  his  eyes  in  that  direction,  he  saw  a  pillar  of 
fire  ascending  up  toward  heaven,  and  then  he  heard  a  cry 
that  rang  in  his  ears  until  his  soul  fainted  within  him, 
"Jerusalem  has  fallen!  " 

Fear,  mingled  with  rage,  had  now  taken  possession 
of  the  people.  To  what  extent  would  the  victorious 
monarch  carry  on  his  work  of  devastation  and  ruin  ? 
They  saw  now  only  the  bondage  of  their  fathers  before 
them.  They  saw  the  city  overthrown,  their  brethren 
cut  down  out  of  time,  and  their  king  in  chains.  For 
the  first  time  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  rang  in  their 


EOCHAID.  77 

ears,  and  now  they  were  fulfilled.  "  Go  ye  up  upon  her 
walls,  but  make  not  a  fall  end.  Take  away  her  battle- 
ments, for  they  are  not  the  Lord's.  For  the  house  of 
Israel,  and  the  house  of  Judah,  have  dealt  very  treach- 
erously against  me,  saith  the  Lord."  The  prophecies 
were  fulfilled,  but  the  end  was  not  yet.  Slavery  for 
their  wives  and  little  ones ;  the  yoke  and  the  halter  for 
themselves. 

Girding  on  his  armor,  the  youth  stood  as  one  chained 
to  the  spot.  Was  it  not  in  fulfillment  of  some  proph- 
ecy that  brought  him  from  his  island  home  to  draw  his 
sword  in  defense  of  a  fallen  race  ?  Long  and  sorrow- 
fully he  gazed  toward  Jerusalem ;  hopes  blasted,  anti- 
cipations wrecked,  joys  banished,  fears  aroused.  Where 
should  he  go  ?  At  last  the  sun,  which  had  been  trans- 
formed into  an  ocean  of  blood,  sank  into  the  sea ;  the 
beacon  fires  were  kindled,  the  blood-red  moon  came  up 
over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  groans  and  sobs  one 
after  another  died  away,  midnight  came,  and  Joppa 
slept. 

Thirty  days  had  now  passed,  when  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, before  the  sun  had  yet  risen,  a  stalwart  Ethiopian 
rode  up  to  the  palace  in  Joppa,  leading  a  powerful 
black  stallion.  The  slave  bore  letters  from  the  gover- 
nor of  Jerusalem  to  the  occidental  prince,  extending  to 
him  the  hospitalities  of  the  city  of  Mizpah.  Nebuchad- 
nezzar had  learned  that  the  prince  had  been  invited  by 
Zedekiah  to  visit  Palestine,  and  he  had  no  desire  to  im- 


78  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

pose  upon  him  any  suffering  or  inconvenience.  He 
knew  that  Hermon  was  the  most  powerful  monarch  of 
the  west,  with  a  mighty  navy  at  his  command,  and 
hence  he  bade  Gedeliah  send  a  messenger  to  Joppa  to 
meet  the  prince  and  to  conduct  him  safely  into  the 
city.  The  prince  received  the  letters  and  then  turned 
his  attention  toward  the  Ethiopian.  He  had  never 
seen  a  more  powerfully  built  man.  Standing  some  six 
feet  seven  inches  tall,  with  a  breadth  of  shoulders  and 
a  girth  of  chest  that  would  have  put  Hercules  to  flight. 
Could  he  be  trusted?  If  so,  they  could  cut  their  way 
through  any  army  of  men.  If  the  Ethiopian  became 
his  friend  he  had  nothing  to  fear. 

The  sun  had  just  risen  when  the  two  men  mounted 
their  horses,  and  were  soon  on  their  way  to  Lydda. 

"  Why  so  sorrowful  ?  " 

The  Ethiopian  looked -at  the  speaker,  and  as  their 
eyes  met  there  passed  through  each  of  them  a  feeling 
of  trust  and  confidence. 

"  You  are  a  Knight  of  the  East  ? 

"  I  am." 

"  And  I  can  trust  you  ?  " 

"  To  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

Thus  from  that  moment  there  sprang  up  between 
king  and  slave  a  friendship  that  was  cemented  for  all 
time. 

"  My  master,"  said  the  slave,  "  is  Jeremiah.  He  is, 
like  yourself,  a  Knight  of  the  East.  When  Jerusalem 


EOCHAID.  79 

was  taken,  he  was  liberated  by  the  order  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, while  my  former  master,  the  king,  was  carried 
away  captive.  The  two  princess,  Myra  and  Tea 
Tephi,  were  found  by  me  in  the  palace  garden  ;  they 
not  knowing  at  the  time  that  the  family  had  escaped 
through  the  passage  toward  Jericho.  I  took  them  to 
the  king's  tomb,  as  that  was  a  favorite  place  of  Jere- 
miah's when  at  liberty.  I  knew  that  they  must  be  hid- 
den from  the  Chaldeans,  as  they  had  sworn  to  slay  every 
member  of  the  king's  family.  When  Jeremiah  returned 
that  night  from  Ramah,  we,  in  company  with  Baruch, 
went  to  the  tomb,  and,  lo,  they  had  been  stolen  away. 
My  heart  sank  within  me,  for  I  was  afraid  of  the 
prophet.  But  he  took  me  by  the  hand  and  comforted 
me,  saying  '  I  was  a  servant  of  the  Most  High  God, 
and  a  slave  no  longer.'  " 

"  And  is  that  what  makes  you  sad  ?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  No.  The  princess  are  stolen  away  and  I  fear  me 
some  evil  will  befall  them.  Oh,  if  you  could  only  see 
Tea  Tephi.  God  never  fashioned  a  more  beautiful 
piece  of  clay.  I  loved  her  from  a  child  as  I  can  never 
love  my  own,  and  all  night  long  on  my  way  to  Joppa  I 
smote  my  breast  and  cried,  'Alas!  alas!  for  human 
idolatry.'  " 

"  Is  Jeremiah  a  true  prophet?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"Yes,  he  is  one  of  God's  anointed,  and  while  the 
Jews  cry  out  against  him  he  would  lay  down  his  life  to 
save  them ;  but  you  know  that  he  floats  down  in  the  tide 


8O  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

of  God's  truths,  and  that  makes  it  easy  for  him.  The 
Jews  try  to  stem  the  current  of  God's  displeasure  and 
hence  fail.  Jeremiah  knows  the  way  and  follows  the 
truth.  While  it  was  just  as  hard  for  him  to  see  our 
beautiful  temple  destroyed  as  it  was  for  the  king,  he 
had  no  power  to  save.  He  had  only  the  gift  of  knowl- 
edge, while  Zedekiah  was  steeped  in  ignorance.  Now 
he  is  reaping  the  whirlwind  of  his  own  election." 

"  If  God  told  Jeremiah  that  the  city  would  be  over- 
thrown and  the  temple  burned,  and  he  had  loved  them 
with  the  same  love  that  Zedekiah  possessed,  why  did 
he  not  save  them  ?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  Because  his  power  was  limited.  If  you  do  wrong, 
is  there  not  always  a  still  small  voice  within  you  that 
pleads  for  the  right  just  the  same  as  though  a  prophet 
of  the  Lord  had  spoken  to  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  if  you  do  wrong,  you  see,  the  still  small  voice 
is  limited  in  its  power,  just  the  same  as  though  you  had 
been  spoken  to  by  the  prophet.  Jeremiah  pleaded  with 
the  king,  just  the  same  as  God  pleads  with  us.  Some 
obey  and  are  saved,  others  disobey  and  are  lost." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  God  punishes  hereafter?  " 

"No." 

"Then  why  do  you  say  some  are  lost ?  Did  Jere- 
miah punish  the  king?" 

"No." 

"  Was  not  Jeremiah's  mission  to  save?" 


EOCHAID  8 1 

"Yes." 

"  Then  who  punished  the  king  ? ' 

"  Why,  I  suppose  it  was  through  his  disobedience,  in 
not  obeying  the  voice  of  the  prophet."  Then  said  the 
Ethiopian,  "  He  elected  to  be  overthrown.  Just  the 
same  way  with  man  and  his  God.  God  does  not  pun- 
ish, Ha  saves.  Man,  if  he  is  lost,  is  lost  through  his 
own  election." 

"  Do  you  believe  the  word  of  God  to  be  perfect  ?  " 
asked  the  prince. 

"  It  was  when  given  to  man,  but  became  imperfect." 

"Why?" 

"Because  whatever  man  touches  becomes  at  once 
contaminated." 

"Are  you  a  pupil  of  Jeremiah?" 

"  I  have  learned  much  of  him  that  used  to  be  dark 
and  foreboding.  I  could  not  see  just  why  God  pun- 
ished a  whole  city  for  the  sins  of  a  few  people,  but 
through  the  teaching  of  the  prophet  those  things  have 
been  made  clear." 

"How?" 

"  Because  if  the  prophet  should  cry  aloud  in  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem,  '  Yet  forty  days  and  the  city  shall 
be  destroyed  if  you  do  not  clean  your  sewers  and  filter 
your  water  that  is  full  of  deadly  germs,'  I  say  that  if 
within  forty  days  they  did  not  do  it  and  were  destroyed 
by  black  death  and  cholera,  the  people  elected  it  and 
consequently  punished  themselves.  Thousands  die 


82  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

every  year  on  their  pilgrimage  to  the  temple  to  wor- 
ship, and  it  has  been  noted  that  they  who  are  clean  are 
usually  free  from  disease  and  death.  It  is  the  unclean 
who  die  of  the  plague  and  the  leprosy,  but  their  touch 
contaminates  the  clean,  for  if  we  associate  with  the 
leper  we  become  leprous ;  if  we  associate  with  the  wine- 
bibbers  we  become  drunkards ;  and  thus  the  plague 
came  to  Jerusalem,  not  because  it  was  the  will  of  God, 
but  because  we  were  shut  up  without  the  facilities  of 
purifying  ourselves  or  burying  our  dead.  The  city  was 
not  cursed  by  God,  but  by  its  rulers." 

The  prince  became  thoughtful.  He  had  learned 
more  from  this  humble  follower  of  Jeremiah  than  he 
ever  had  at  the  colleges  of  Lothair  Crofin.  If  the  Ethiop- 
ian explained  so  lucidly,  what  a  fountain  of  knowledge 
there  must  be  in  the  brain  of  the  prophet. 

As  the  two  gained  the  brow  of  the  hill  that  looked 
down  into  Mizpah  they  were  met  by  a  sight  that  caused 
them  to  start  back  and  draw  rein.  Ishmael  was  just 
.leaving  with  a  large  body  of  men,  together  with  the 
captives  of  the  city.  The  Ethiopian  recognized  Jere- 
miah and  Baruch,  together  with  the  king's  daughters. 

As  soon  as  they  had  passed  out  of  sight  on  their  way 
to  the  Ammonites,  they  rode  down  to  the  city  and  gave 
the  alarm. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ISHMAEL. 

WHEN  Nebuchadnezzar  had  carried  away  all  of  the 
noble  families  of  Jerusalem  he  made  Gedaliah  governor 
over  the  poor  families  and  all  those  who  had  escaped 
out  of  the  city  after  the  siege.  Gedaliah  was  a  right- 
eous man,  and  consequently  when  the  Jews  heard  that 
he  had  been  appointed  governor  they  hastened  back  to 
the  city.  Among  those  who  escaped  during  the  siege 
was  Ishmael,  one  of  the  king's  sons,  a  captain  of  the 
guard,  who  was  the  most  wicked  and  crafty  man  in  all 
Jerusalem,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  only  coward  who 
deserted  his  post.  As  soon  as  the  plague  entered  the 
city  he  went  out  to  Baalis,  the  king  of  the  Ammonites, 
to  await  events.  That  Jerusalem  must  fall  he  had  no 
doubt,  as  the  prophet  had  foretold  that  all  going  out 
of  the  city  would  be  saved  alive  and  all  who  remained 
would  fall  by  either  the  sword,  pestilence,  or  famine. 
If  he  was  a  true  prophet,  then  all  of  his  father's  family 
would  be  swept  out  of  time,  and  he  would  be  the  seed 
royal  of  the  throne  of  David.  He  would  accept  Jere- 
miah's prophecies  as  true  and  escape.  If  the  family 
were  all  slain,  then  he  would  return  to  Jerusalem  and 
assert  his  power.  It  had  been  prophesied  that  the  throne 

(83) 


84  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

should  have  an  heir  until  Shiloh  came,  but  Jeremiah 
had  said  that  this  heir  would  not  occupy  the  throne  at 
Jerusalem  over  the  Jews,  but  the  throne  over  the 
Israelites.  The  Israelites  were  lost,  but  the  prophecies 
concerning  them  were  that  Shiloh's  mission  on  earth 
was  to  them  and  them  alone,  and  that  their  throne 
should  be  established  with  the  seed  royal  of  the  house 
of  David  as  their  leader.  Who  then  would  be  left  save 
himself  to  become  their  king  ? 

As  soon  as  he  heard  that  the  city  had  fallen  and  that 
his  father's  family  were  all  slain  he  believed  the  words 
of  the  prophet,  and  taking  ten  men  with  him  entered 
Mizpah.  Already  Gedaliah  had  been  appointed  gov- 
ernor, and  was  ready  to  meet  the  king's  son  and  deal 
honorably  with  him.  He  had  been  warned  by  Johanan 
that  Ishmael  was  a  wicked  and  crafty  prince,  and  the 
only  way  to  make  a  good  prince,  of  him  was  to  kill  him, 
but  the  governor  would  not  listen  to  any  such  proposal. 
He  believed  that  by  entertaining  him  as  became  the 
seed  of  the  house  of  David  he  could  secure  his  friend- 
ship, and  thereby  make  him  a  firm  ally.  When  Ishmael 
arrived  he  was  met  as  a  king.  The  house  had  been  set 
in  order,  and  the  banquet  hall  rang  out  with  the  sound 
of  music.  Wine  flowed  like  a  river.  Jests  were  passed 
to  and  fro  between  governor  and  prince,  until  Gedaliah 
began  to  be  overcome.  Then  Ishmael  rose  up  and  slew 
him,  together  with  all  who  were  in  the  house. 

Night    came  on,  and  as  soon  as  the   shadows    cast 


ISHMAEL.  85 

their  mantle  over  the  city  they  went  into  the  streets 
and  slew  all  the  Jews  and  all  of  the  soldiers  left  there 
by  Nebuchadnezzar  to  guard  the  city.  Early  in  the 
morning  there  came  eighty  Jews,  bearing  presents  to 
Gedaliah.  They  were  invited  into  the  court  and  all 
slain  save  a  few  who  had  more  treasures  hid  in  the  field. 
The  pit  of  Asa  was  now  reeking  with  the  blood  and 
bodies  of  the  slain.  Not  less  than  one  thousand  Jews 
and  Chaldean  soldiers  had  perished  during  the  night. 
In  the  morning  he  sent  out  spies  to  bring  in  any  found 
in  the  mountains,  and  it  was  by  one  of  these  spies  that 
the  tomb  was  discovered  and  the  king's  daughters 
brought  into  Mizpah. 

When  he  saw  his  sisters  he  disbelieved  the  words  of 
the  prophet  and  ordered  that  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  be 
found  and  brought  before  him.  Jeremiah  was  a  false 
prophet  and  he  should  pay  the  penalty.  Myra  and 
Tea  Tephi  should  die.  Who  were  they,  to  stand  be- 
fore him  and  the  throne  of  Israel  ?  As  soon  as  they 
were  found  they  were  brought  before  Ishmael,  and  a 
council  declared  that  there  should  no  mercy  be  shown 
to  either  of  them,  consequently  the  prophet  and 
Baruch  were  bound  in  chains  to  Myra  and  Tea  Tephi, 
and  again  they  took  up  the  line  of  march  towards  the 
country  of  Ammon,  where  death  would  be  meted  out 
to  them  in  the  most  horrible  manner. 

As  they  were  going  out  of  the  city  they  were  recog- 
nized by  the  Ethiopian.  The  alarm  was  given,  and 


86  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

soon  all  the  country  round  about  Jerusalem  were  has- 
tening toward  Mizpah. 

They  had  escaped  the  war,  the  famine,  and  the  pesti- 
lence only  to  meet  a  death  more  foul  at  the  hands  of 
an  assassin.  "  To  arms !  to  arms !  and  wipe  out  this 
foul  blot."  Johanan,  a  mighty  man  of  valor,  had  soon 
collected  an  army  of  men,  among  whom  were  the 
prince  and  the  slave.  The  Jews  were  bowed  down  with 
sorrow,  as  they  knew  that  under  the  good  government 
of  Gedaliah  peace  would  quickly  have  been  restored. 
Now  they  were  eager  for  the  combat.  The  sun  was 
well  past  the  meridian  when  Johanan  gave  the  com- 
mand to  march.  The  cavalry  had  been  divided  into 
two  companies,  one  under  Johanan  and  the  other  under 
Jezaniah.  As  the  cavalry  went  out  of  Mizpah  and 
took  the  road  south  leading  down  to  Hebron,  a  pro- 
longed shout  rent  the  air.  "  Onward  to  victory  !  " 
"  Death  to  the  traitor !  "  Toward  sunset  they  came  to 
the  plains  of  Hebron  and  saw  Ishmael  and  his  company 
encamped  at  the  fountain.  They  had  been  seen  by 
Ishmael,  and  now  there  seemed  to  be  hurried  work 
going  on  in  his  camp. 

The  Ethiopian  sat  on  his  horse  like  one  in  a  dream, 
for  he  saw  the  chains  loosed  from  the  princess,  while 
two  powerful  men  seized  them,  and  springing  into  the 
saddle  shot  away  over  the  plains.  The  prince  saw  the 
movements,  and,  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  the  two  men 
dashed  away  after  them. 


ISHMAEL.  87 

When  Ishmael  saw  the  prince  and  the  Ethiopian  ride 
away  after  the  two  men  who  bore  the  princess,  he  hur- 
riedly gave  orders,  and  in  a  moment  twelve  men  had 
mounted  and  rode  to  the  rescue.  The  horses  that  the 
prince  and  the  slave  rode  were  more  powerful  and  fleet 
than  any  that  Ishmael  possessed,  hence  only  a  few  mo- 
ments expired  before  the  prince  rode  up  to  the  one 
who  bore  Tea  Tephi  and,  drawing  his  sword,  he  cleft 
him  from  crown  to  chin.  In  the  meantime  the  Ethio- 
pian had  borne  down  on  the  rider  who  carried  Myra, 
and,  throwing  his  javelin,  it  passed  directly  through  the 
neck  of  the  horse.  He  stopped  short,  threw  up  his 
head,  and  fell  headlong  to  the  earth.  Before  he  had 
reached  the  ground  the  slave  threw  himself  from  his 
horse,  and  before  the  Ammonite  could  recover  he  was 
borne  down  to  the  earth,  while  Myra  was  seized  in 
the  Ethiopian's  powerful  grasp  and  borne  to  a  place  of 
safety  ;  then  springing  into  his  saddle  he  turned  to  face 
the  enemy,  and  he  was  not  a  moment  too  soon.  A 
powerful  blow  had  been  aimed  at  him  by  the  leader  of 
the  gang,  which  was  parried  by  the  sword  of  the  prince, 
and  before  the  Ammonite  could  recover,  his  head  was 
severed  from  his  body. 

It  was  then  that  the  people  from  both  camps  watched 
the  battle  with  intense  excitement.  Never  had  either 
Ishmael  or  Johanan  witnessed  such  a  combat.  While 
the  Ethiopian  bore  them  down  by  his  ponderous  weight 
and  power,  the  prince  like  a  lightning  flash  mowed  them 


88  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

down  before  him  like  grain  before  the  reaper.  Never 
before  had  such  a  knight  been  seen  on  the  plains  of 
Gibeon.  Who  was  he,  and  from  whence  came  his  su- 
perior knowledge  in  the  art  of  swordsmanship  ?  Could 
the  twelve  men  retake  the  princess?  "  No,  by  heavens, 
they  are  conquered  !  "  cried  Ishmael,  as  the  wily  Irish- 
man parried  a  thrust  aimed  at  his  horse  ;  then  shouting 
to  the  Ethiopian,  "  Now,  by  the  rock  of  Kilkenny,  let 
us  finish  these  barbarians  !  "  he  cleft  the  leader  in  twain. 
Then  spurring  his  horse  up  to  the  side  of  the  slave, 
who  was  engaged  in  warding  off  the  last  three,  he  arose 
in  the  saddle,  and  in  a  moment  the  victory  was  theirs. 
The  last  man  had  bit  the  dust.  And  now  there  went 
up  a  shout  from  the  camp  of  Johanan,  "  Death  to  the 
assassin  ! " 

While  this  combat  had  been  taking  place  the  cap- 
tive Jews  had  gone  over  to  Johanan,  and  they  were 
being  armed  preparatory  to  meeting  the  company  of 
Ishmael.  Ishmael  had  been  weakened  by  the  death  of 
fourteen  men,  and  this  had  reduced  his  valiant  men  of 
war.  He  had  been  reinforced  at  the  fountain  of  Heb- 
ron, but  he  feared  the  prince  and  the  slave.  If  Johan- 
an were  alone  he  would  meet  him  in  equal  combat,  and 
he  was  assured  that  he  could  conquer,  but  now  he  must 
take  to  flight.  Mounting  his  horse,  he  together  with 
eight  men  made  their  escape. 

When  Jeremiah  saw  the  prince  his  heart  leaped 
within  him.  He  had  seen  him  before,  but  where  ? 


ISHMAEL.  89 

Every  movement  was  stereotyped  in  his  memory. 
His  face,  his  voice,  all  were  as  familiar  to  him  as  the 
face  and  voice  of  Baruch,  and  yet  he  could  not  recall 
his  name.  Bowing  his  head,  his  mind  went  out  over 
the  past.  At  last  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and,  seizing 
Baruch  by  the  arm,  he  cried,  "  'Tis  he,  'tis  he  of  whom 
I  spake.  I  have  seen  him  a  thousand  times  in  my 
dreams  !  He  will  save  Israel,  and  establish  the  new 
throne." 

When  the  prince  rode  up  with  Tea  Tephi  in  his 
arms,  the  prophet  raised  his  hands  and  commanded 
the  blessing  of  God  to  rest  upon  them.  Already  the 
hearts  of  both  were  in  each  other's  keeping,  yet  they 
knew  it  not.  The  prince  sprang  from  his  horse,  giving 
the  princess  into  the  keeping  of  Johanan  ;  then  bowing 
down  before  the  prophet  and  kissing  the  hem  of  his 
garment,  he  asked  his  blessing.  The  prophet  laid  his 
hand  on  the  head  of  the  prince,  then  raising  his  eyes 
toward  Heaven,  he  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  give 
him  a  sign,  whereby  he  might  know  that  from  the 
loins  of  the  prince  he  blessed  the  house  of  Israel  would 
be  established.  And  now  there  comes  the  rolling  of  a 
distant  thunder.  Gradually  it  comes  on,  until  the  whole 
heavens  have  been  transformed  into  a  mighty  host  of 
horses  and  chariots  of  fire.  The  thundering  of  the 
artillery  ceased,  and  from  the  battlements  of  Heaven 
there  came  a  voice,  saying :  "  Through  his  throne 
Israel  shall  be  saved.  Know  ye  not  that  God  made  a 


gO  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

covenant  with  David,  by  a  pinch  of  salt,  that  the  seed 
of  Judah  should  rule  over  Israel  forever?" 

When  the  morning  came  the  command  was  given  to 
move  on  to  Chimham,  which  is  at  the  entrance  going 
down  into  Egypt.  A  dissension  had  arisen  between 
the  prophet  and  the  people.  Johanan  was  afraid  of 
the  Chaldeans,  in  that  Gedaliah  had  been  slain.  He 
had  before  agreed  to  accept  the  word  of  the  Lord 
through  the  prophet,  but  now  he  was  rebellious,  and 
would  force  the  people  to  go  into  Egypt.  Again  they 
asked  Jeremiah  to  inquire  of  the  Lord,  and  again  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying  :  "  If  you  will 
abide  in  land,  I  will  build  you  up  and  not  pull  you 
down,  for  I  repent  me  of  the  evil  I  have  done  unto  you. 
Be  not  afraid  of  the  King  of  Babylon,  for  I  am  with 
you.  But  if  ye  say,  I  will  go  into  the  land  of  Egypt, 
then  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  sword  you  fear  shall 
overtake  you,  and  the  famine  whereof  you  are  afraid 
shall  follow  you  there  in  Egypt,  that  ye  die.  For  thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel.  As  mine 
anger  and  my  fury  has  been  poured  forth  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  so  shall  my  fury  be  poured 
forth  on  you  when  ye  shall  enter  Egypt."  "  Then," 
said  Azariah,  "  thou  speakest  falsely.  God  hath  not 
sent  thee  to  say,  go  not  into  Egypt ;  but  Baruch  set- 
teth  thee  on  against  us  to  deliver  us  into  the  hands  of 
the  Chaldeans."  So  there  was  a  division,  for  neither 
Johanan  nor  Azariah  would  listen  to  the  voice  of  the 


ISHMAEL.  pi 

prophet,  "  but  commanded  all,  both  Jeremiah,  and 
Baruch,  and  the  king's  daughters,  and  all  of  the  people 
to  pass  over  into  Egypt." 

When  the  prince  had  heard  all  the  words  of  the  pro- 
phet and  of  the  captains  he  was  exceedingly  sorry,  as  he 
believed  the  words  of  Jeremiah,  and  was  satisfied  that 
no  good  thing  could  come  out  of  Egypt.  The  prince 
had  come  to  love  Jeremiah  as  one  of  God's  anointed, 
and  he  hearkened  unto  him.  Jeremiah  had  warned  the 
prince,  as  soon  as  they  had  crossed  over  into  Egypt, 
to  take  the  princess  by  stealth  and  go  back  to  Jerusa- 
lem. God  had  shown  him  that  they  were  all  safe  from 
the  hands  of  the  King  of  Babylon,  as  he  was  then  prepar- 
ing to  make  war  on  the  Moabites  and  the  Ammonites, 
and  he  certainly  would  despoil  Egypt.  As  soon  as 
possible  he,  with  Baruch,  would  make  their  escape  and 
meet  him  in  Jerusalem.  He  had  informed  him  of  the 
whereabouts  of  the  king's  tomb,  and  should  any  trouble 
occur  to  secrete  the  princess.  The  prophet  knew  the 
prince  to  be  a  Knight  of  the  East,  and  he  had  no  hesi- 
tancy in  placing  the  princess  in  his  keeping.  Accord- 
ingly, at  midnight,  on  the  day  they  arrived  in  Egypt, 
the  prince  and  the  Ethiopian  were  in  the  saddle.  Two 
horses  were  secured  from  the  company,  while  cautiously 
the  princess  mounted,  and  when  the  morning  came 
they  were  well  on  their  way  toward  Jerusalem. 


CHAPTER  VII, 

EGYPT. 

EGYPT  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Mediter- 
ranean, on  the  south  by  Ethiopia,  on  the  east  by  the 
Red  Sea  and  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  and  on  the  west  by 
Libya.  The  Nile  runs  from  south  to  north  through 
the  whole  country,  a  distance  of  six  hundred  miles. 
The  distance  from  Jerusalem  to  Memphis  (the  capital 
city  of  the  Pharoahs  in  the  days  of  Joseph)  was  two 
hundred  and  seventy  miles.  The  distance  from  Heb- 
ron, in  the  land  of  Canaan  (twenty  miles  south  of  Jeru- 
salem), was  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  although  it 
was  only  forty  miles  from  Hebron  to  the  entrance  into 
Egypt. 

The  land  of  Canaan  must  not  be  confounded  with 
Cana  of  Galilee,  as  that  was  eighty  miles  north  of 
Hebron.  These  two  places  are  frequently  confounded 
by  commentators,  as  is  Zechariah  the  prophet,  who  was 
slain  between  the  temple  and  the  altar,  with  Zachariah 
the  son  of  Baruch,  who  was  slain  in  the  temple.  Baby- 
lon lay  nearly  due  east,  five  hundred  miles  from  Jeru- 
lem,  across  the  northern  part  of  the  Arabian  desert. 
Mesopotamia  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of 
(92) 


EGYPT.  ,     93 

Palestine.  To  the  south  lay  the  country  of  the  Am- 
monities  and  the  Moabites. 

Menes,  or  Mizraim,  the  first  king  and  founder  of  the 
Egyptian  Empire,  was  a  son  of  Ham.  He,  together  with 
Nimrod  his  nephew,  a  grandson  of  Ham,  founded  Baby- 
lon, and  were  the  chief  promoters  of  the  building  of 
the  Tower  of  Babel ;  but  after  the  languages  were  con- 
founded Ham  went  down  into  Egypt  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  Memphis.  His  son  Menes  became  the  first 
king,  and  founded  Thebes,  which  1,500  years  B.C.  be- 
came the  capital  city,  having  supplanted  Memphis,  the 
home  of  Joseph  and  the  birth-place  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh.  Directly  in  front  of  the  city  lay  the  great 
Necropolis,  in  the  centre  of  which  towered  the  pyra- 
mids. At  this  time  the  great  pyramid  was  eight  hun- 
dred feet  square  at  its  base  and  eight  hundred  feet 
high.  Thirty  years  was  occupied  in  building  it,  with  a 
force  of  one  hundred  thousand  men.  Job,  a  profound 
astronomer,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  chief  archi- 
tect. He  was  a  grandson  of  Jacob  and  a  contemporary 
with  Moses. 

At  the  time  of  the  seventy  years'  captivity,  Thebes 
was  the  capital  city.  This  was  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful cities  on  earth.  "  In  the  grand  palace  was  a  hall 
329  feet  long  and  170  feet  wide,  supported  by  12  mas- 
sive columns  of  solid  granite,  60  feet  high  and  36  feet 
in  circumference,  while  these  were  surrounded  by  122 
columns,  49  feet  high  and  27  feet  in  circumference. 


94  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  palace  were  two  obelisks,  92 
feet  high  and  8  feet  square  at  the  base.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  mighty  wall,  containing  100  brazen  gates, 
from  which  in  time  of  war  20,000  war  chariots  could  be 
sent  out,  and  10,000  men  from  each  gate."  This  city 
was  located  on  the  river  Nile,  in  Upper  Egypt.  "  Their 
religion  was  the  worship  of  Osiris  and  Isis,  which  repre- 
sented the  sun  and  moon,  together  with  the  ox,  dog, 
cat,  wolf,  hawk,  crocodile,  ibis,  and  ape.  They  were 
probably  the  most  superstitious  people  that  ever  lived 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  While  the  Hebrews  sojourned 
in  Goshen  they  partook  largely  of  these  superstitions, 
and  hence  we  find  Dan  setting  up  a  golden  calf  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Sinai." 

From  the  remotest  antiquity  the  year  has  been  365 
days,  6  hours.  The  river  Nile  overflows  and  waters 
the  whole  country,  as  it  seldom  rains  in  Egypt.  The 
height  of  its  rising  is  24  feet.  If  less,  then  there  is  a 
famine  in  the  land.  The  inhabitants  begin  to  sow  in 
October  and  November,  and  reap  in  March  and  April. 
On  the  1st  of  June  a  strong  northeasterly  wind  begins 
to  blow,  which  continues  for  four  months,  and  this 
keeps  the  water  back,  which  otherwise  would  flow  off 
too  fast,  and  thereby  produce  famine.  This  is  one  of 
the  strong  links  in  the  chain  of  Supreme  Control.  The 
law  differs  in  Palestine,  as  there  fixed  rains  fall  on  the 
country  twice  a  year. 

At  this  time  there  were  in  Egypt  2,000  cities  and 


EGYPT.  95 

towns,  in  which  were  magnificent  temples  erected  to  a 
thousand-and-one  gods,  but  none  to  the  worship  of  the 
true  God.  Written  on  the  sarcophagus  of  one  of  the 
dead  rulers,  in  the  temple  of  Isis,  is  this  inscription,  "  I 
am  whatever  has  been,  and  is,  and  shall  be,  and  no 
mortal  hath  yet  pierced  the  veil  that  shrouds  me." 
Thus  we  find  the  children  of  Noah,  whom  God  loved 
and  saved  from  destruction,  peopled  throughout  the 
earth.  Shem,  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Indian  Ocean, 
including  the  Assyrians,  Persians,  Chaldeans,  and 
Lydians.  They  were  also  the  founders  and  builders  of 
Damascus. 

Japhet  was  scattered  through  Europe  and  Asia. 
They  were  the  founders  of  Media,  Cappadocia,  Tarsus, 
Cyprus,  even  unto  Cadiz. 

The  posterity  of  Ham  were  in  Africa  and  in  the  land 
of  Canaan.  You  must  remember  that  Noah  did  not 
curse  Ham,  but  Canaan.  "And  he  said,  cursed  be 
Canaan ;  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his 
brethren.  And  he  said,  blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Shem."  From  Shem  came  Abraham,  and  through  his 
seed  the  final  overthrow  of  Canaan,  of  whom  were  the 
Philistines,  Jebusites,  Ammonites,  Hivites,  and  dozens 
of  other  tribes  equally  as  bad.  From  the  remnant 
came  the  Moors  and  Arabs,  together  with  the  Ethio- 
pians and  the  Egyptians.  These  entire  nations  were 
void  of  every  element  that  pertains  to  the  worship  of 
Jehovah,  Nimrod  being  the  first  to  turn  the  people 


g6  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

toward  the  worship  of  idols ;  hence  the  wisdom  of  God 
in  calling  Abraham  up  out  of  Chaldea  to  become  the 
leader  of  a  people  who  would  keep  in  remembrance  the 
true  source  of  all  things.  By  remembering  this,  we 
can  understand  just  why  God  spake  through  the 
prophets  to  this  peculiar  people,  as  they,  and  they 
alone,  were  to  establish  the  two  kingdoms  that  would 
have  their  full  fruition  in  the  evangelization  of  the 
whole  world.  Noah,  through  faith,  blessed  Abraham ; 
Abraham,  through  faith,  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

When  Jeremiah  awoke  the  next  morning  he  was  in 
sore  distress,  for  well  he  knew  that  not  one  soul  who 
had  crossed  over  into  Egypt  would  ever  return  save 
those  who  heard  and  believed ;  and  who  out  of  that 
vast  number  believed  ?  Not  one,  save  Baruch .  and 
himself.  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him,  and 
said :  "  For  I  will  punish  them  that  dwell  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  as  I  have  punished  Jerusalem,  by  the  sword, 
by  the  famine,  and  by  the  pestilence.  Behold  I  will 
watch  over  them  for  evil,  and  not  for  good  ;  and  all 
the  men  of  Judah  that  are  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall 
be  consumed  by  the  sword,  and  by  the  famine,  until 
there  shall  be  an  end  of  them.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign 
unto  you,  saith  the  Lord,  that  /  will  punish  you  in  this 
place,  that  ye  may  know  that  my  words  will  surely 
stand  against  you  for  evil." 

Already  a  famine  threatened  them.  The  vast  multi- 
tude of  people  had  consumed  most  that  had  been 


EGYPT.  97 

brought  from  Mizpah,  while  the  Egyptians  shunned 
them,  as  they  were  an  abomination  unto  them.  Never 
had  an  Egyptian  associated  with  a  Jew  since  the  days 
of  Joseph,  and  now  they  refused  to  sell  their  corn  ex- 
cept at  the  most  extravagant  prices.  Pestilence  broke 
out  through  the  want  of  proper  nourishment,  and  death 
claimed  them  by  the  scores  every  day ;  and  yet  they 
refused  to  return  into  the  land  of  their  fathers.  In  the 
camp  of  Azariah  a  plot  was  being  formulated  for  the 
destruction  of  the  prophet.  His  presence  among  them 
was  more  grievous  than  Moses  in  Egypt. 

In  the  fields  of  Egypt  there  is  a  small  poisonous  ser- 
pent, known  as  the  asp,  whose  sting  is  as  deadly  as 
death  itself.  They  had  already  secured  one,  and  now 
awaited  the  time  when  Jeremiah  slept  to  release  the 
serpent  in  his  tent.  Should  that  fail,  then  they  would 
cut  him  down  with  the  sword.  Evening  came  on,  and 
the  prophet  retired  to  his  tent,  but  not  to  sleep.  The 
ways  of  God  were,  as  ever,  a  mystery  to  him,  but  he  had 
never  questioned  their  justice.  Now  women  and  chil- 
dren were  dying  by  the  scores  and  hundreds,  and  there 
was  none  to  deliver.  Why  had  God  brought  all  these 
punishments,  simply  because  they  had  crossed  the  line 
into  Egypt?  And  yet  they  had  disobeyed,  in  exactly 
the  same  way  that  Adam  and  Eve  had  disobeyed,  and 
death  would  be  meeted  out  to  them.  Moses  disobeyed, 
and  was  not  permitted  to  enter  into  the  promised  land. 
Zedekiah  had  disobeyed,  and  all  Jerusalem  was  in 


98  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

mourning.  Johanan  and  Azariah  had  disobeyed,  and 
death  would  be  their  portion,  because  God  had  de- 
creed it.  Sin  entered  the  world,  and  death  through  the 
sin  of  disobedience. 

At  this  moment  he  became  aware  of  the  presence  of 
another  beside  themselves  in  the  tent.  Who  was  he, 
and  why  so  much  stealth  ?  Baruch  was  sleeping  in  his 
cot,  on  the  other  side  of  the  tent,  little  dreaming  of  the 
danger  that  threatened  them,  for  the  Seer  was  sure  evil 
was  about  to  befall  them.  While  straining  every  nerve  to 
catch  the  faintest  sound,  he  hears  the  hiss  of  a  serpent ; 
then  he  knows  his  doom  is  sealed,  unless  God  is  with 
him.  He  had  never  doubted  the  wisdom  and  benevo- 
lence of  God  toward  those  who  walk  in  His  footsteps, 
and  he  would  rely  on  His  promises  even  though  he  were 
slain.  Silently  the  murderer  glides  up  to  the  couch  of 
the  Seer  and,  stooping  over  him,  listens.  The  prophet 
feels  his  breath  on  his  face,  but  he  makes  no  movement ; 
nothing  but  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  supposed  sleep- 
ers is  heard  in  the  tent.  The  mantle  that  covers  the 
prophet  is  then  gently  raised,  the  box  containing  the 
serpent  is  placed  beside  him,  the  cover  is  quickly  re- 
moved, the  mantle  dropped  into  its  place,  and  the  man 
glides  from  the  tent. 

As  soon  as  the  assassin  was  gone  Baruch  arose  and 
struck  the  flint.  A  spark  rested  on  the  punk,  which  was 
soon  fanned  into  a  flame,  and  from  that  he  lit  the  torch  ; 
then,  carefully  raising  the  mantle,  he  saw  that  the  asp 


EGYPT.  99 

had  not  moved.  Taking  up  the  cover,  he  placed  it  over 
the  box  and  quickly  left  the  tent.  Not  one  word  had 
been  spoken  by  either.  Did  Baruch  think  the  prophet 
was  asleep?  Hour  after  hour  passed  away,  and  still  he 
came  not.  Where  was  he?  Surely  he  would  not  allow 
the  serpent  to  do  him  an  injury? 

When  Baruch  had  awoke  and  heard  the  hiss  of  the 
serpent,  he  knew  that  death  lurked  within  the  folds  of 
tent.  He  had  overheard  the  threats  made  against  the 
life  of  the  Seer,  and  now  the  hour  had  come  when  they 
would  take  their  revenge  upon  him  in  a  most  cowardly 
and  dastardly  manner.  He  had  faith  to  believe  that 
God  would  protect  him  from  the  fangs  of  the  serpent, 
but  how? 

As  soon  as  the  man  was  gone,  he  was  on  his  feet, 
and  taking  the  box  from  the  cot  he  hurriedly  left  the 
tent  and  sought  the  tent  of  the  assassin.  Nor  did  he 
have  far  to  go,  for  he  was  satisfied  that  the  work  was 
that  of  Azariah,  or  the  tools  that  were  under  his  com- 
mand. While  he  was  thus  standing  in  a  listening  at- 
titude, a  hand  was  gently  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  and  a 
voice  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  Give  me  the  box,  and  get 
thee  gone,  for  thy  life,  as  well  that  of  the  Seer,  is  in 
danger."  "  But  as  for  me  also,  mine  eye  shall  not 
spare,  neither  will  I  hav2  pity,  but  I  will  recompense 
their  way  upon  their  head." 

Early  in  the  morning,  even  before  it  was  yet  day,  a 
cry  ran  through  the  camp.  "A  new  plague;  a  new 


100  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

plague!"  Heman  and  Eliezer  are  both  dead,  and  it 
certainly  must  be  the  work  of  Jeremiah.  Azariah  hated 
both  the  prophet  and  Baruch  with  an  intense  hatred, 
but  had  stood  in  fear  of  the  Jews.  Now  the  time  had 
come  when  he  could  have  revenge  upon  them,  backed 
up  by  the  people,  and  so  he  took  up  the  shout,  "  Death 
to  the  traitors  ! "  A  council  was  called,  and  it  was  un- 
animously decided  that  they  should  die  on  that  very 
hour.  Accordingly  Johanan  and  Azariah  commanded 
that  they  be  summoned  from  the  tent  to  meet  their 
doom.  The  tent  was  empty.  At  that  moment  Jere- 
miah and  Baruch  were  sitting  under  the  great  oak  of 
Abraham,  which  is  at  the  fountain  of  Hebron. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    ARK  OF  THE   COVENANT. 

AT  the  northeast  corner  of  the  ruins  of  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem  two  men  were  engaged  in  earnest  conver- 
sation. To  a  casual  observer  they  were  as  two  who 
had  just  met  and  were  exchanging  friendly  salutations, 
but  the  business  on  hand  with  them  was  of  a  more 
weighty  and  momentous  character. 

Standing  just  within  the  sljadow  of  a  fallen  pillar 
were  seven  Fellow  Crafts.  Receiving  a  sign  from 
Baruch,  the  men  advanced,  giving  the  password,  due 
guard,  and  grand  sign ;  then  producing  a  strong  cord 
they  proceeded  to  lower  one  of  their  fellows  into  the 
opening  that  had  been  made,  preparatory  to  the  final 
act  of  bringing  to  light  the  sacred  corner-stone. 

"  You  will  know  it  by  the  iron  ring  in  the  corner," 
said  Jeremiah,  speaking  to  the  fellow  who  was  descend- 
ing. "  It  lays  just  over  the  vaults,  wherein  is  the  ark 
of  the  covenant  and  the  tables  of  the  law.  Be  careful, 
as  the  heat  methinks  has  slivered  and  peradventure 
cracked  it.  This  is  Bethel.  None  other  than  the  house 
of  God.  This  is  Jacob's  Pillar,  which  Jehovah  hath 
blessed  and  hath  followed  Israel  during  all  of  their  wan- 

(101) 


102  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

derings.  When  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  made  a  cove- 
nant with  all  of  the  tribes  of  Judah,  this  stone  was 
made  a  witness.  And  Joshua  said  unto  all  the  people : 
'  Behold,  this  stone  shall  be  a  witness  unto  us,  for  it 
hath  heard  all  of  the  words  of  the  Lord  which  He 
spake  unto  us  and  shall,  therefore,  be  a  witness  unto 
you,  lest  ye  deny  your  God.'  This  stone  was  brought 
here  by  Benjamin,  and  by  some  of  the  workmen  was 
thrown  into  the  rubbish.  Have  ye  not  read  in  the 
Scriptures  that  the  stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
the  same  became  the  head  of  the  corner?" 

The  stone  was  discovered  by  the  iron  ring  and  the 
kingdom  that  possesses  it  will  be  an  iron  kingdom. 

"  Sovereign  master,  the  stone  lies  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  arch.  It  is  slivered  by  the  fire,  and  a 
crack  runs  through  the  whole  length  of  it.  I  am  at  a 
loss  to  know  how  we  can  raise  it  without  injury." 

"  Let  the  cord  be  wound  around  seven  times.  Are 
you  ready  ?  " 

"  I  am." 

"  Then  let  us  raise  it,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah." 

By  careful  management  on  the  part  of  the  Fellow 
Crafts  it  was  raised  and  landed  safely.  It  was  22  inches 
long,  13  inches  broad  and  11  inches  deep.  In  color  it 
was  of  a  bluish  gray,  mixed  with  veins  of  red.  The  iron 
rings  at  each  end  were  old  and  rusty,  while  the  pillow, 
or  pillar  as  it  was  more  frequently  called,  showed 
plainly  that  it  had  been  purified,  as  by  fire. 


THE  ARK  OF  THE  COVENANT.  IO5 

"  Let  us  now  proceed  to  rescue  the  '  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant,' "  said  the  prophet,  and  immediately  the  Fellow 
Craft  descended,  by  means  of  the  strong  cord,  to  the 
entrance  of  the  door  of  the  vault,  for  here  it  was 
secreted  by  the  Craft  the  moment  the  walls  of  the  city 
had  fallen.  "  Sovereign  Master,  the  cord  has  been 
wrapped  around  seven  times  in  commemoration  of  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Lord  our  God." 

As  the  ark  was  being  raised  Jeremiah  exclaimed : 
"  Thus  ye  shall  answer  them,  that  the  waters  of  Jordan 
were  cut  off  before  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord 
when  it  passed  over  Jordan. 

"  And  they  said :  *  If  ye  send  away  the  ark  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  send  it  not  empty.' 

"  '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  ye  be  multiplied 
and  increased  in  the  land  in  those  days,'  saith  the  Lord, 
'they  shall  say,  no  more  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the 
Lord,  neither  shall  it  come  to  mind,  neither  shall  they 
remember  it,  neither  shall  they  visit  it,  neither  shall 
that  be  done  any  more.' 

"  This  is  the  ark,  my  brethren,  wherein  is  deposited 
the  stone  tablets  that  Moses  wrote  upon  the  mount.  It 
was  made  to  receive  them  and  nothing  else,  and  in  the 
later  ages,  when  our  brotherhood  shall  bring  it  forth 
from  its  secret  hiding-place  on  Israelitish  soil,  the  whole 
land  will  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  our  God.  Then 
shall  Judah  go  before  Israel  into  Jerusalem.  Then 
shall  they  look  upon  Him  whom  they  have  pierced  and 


106  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

mourn  for  Him  as  an  only  son.  Then,  my  brethren,  if 
they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  would 
they  be  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the  dead." 

At  this  moment  there  appeared  in  the  midst  of  them 
a  man  in  shining  raiment,  clothed  as  with  the  sun,  and 
said  :  "  Peace  be  unto  you."  Fear  came  upon  them. 
Was  not  this  he  who  appeared  unto  Jacob  when  the 
pillar  was  consecrated  to  the  Lord  ?  Was  not  this  he 
who  stood  by  Moses  in  the  burning  bush?  and  the 
bush  was  nor  consumed ;  was  not  this  he  who  had 
walked  with  the  three  Hebrew  children  through  the 
furnace  of  fire  and  who  appeared  unto  Nebuchadnezzar 
like  unto  the  son  of  God  ?  Were  they  not  standing  on 
holy  ground?  Did  not  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stand 
here  on  this  spot,  by  the  side  of  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant, and  stay  the  plague  ?  Then  they  fell  prostrate 
on  their  faces  before  him  ;  and  again  he  said  :  "  Peace 
be  unto  you."  When  they  looked  up  they  were  alone. 
The  stone !  the  ark !  But  they  too  had  vanished. 

About  a  mile  outside  of  the  city  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  there  was  a  cave 
which  centuries  before  had  been  dug  out  and  fitted  in 
with  solid  masonry,  and  was  known  as  "the  King's 
Tomb."  It  was  known,  however,  to  but  few  that  within 
the  tomb  was  a  secret  passage  that  led  to  a  chamber  of 
extraordinary  beauty  and  design.  This  chamber  had 
been  fitted  up  by  the  Knights  of  the  East  to  resemble 
the  lodge-room  in  King  Solomon's  Temple.  The  secret 


THE  ARK  OF  THE  COVENANT. 


spring  that  threw  open  the  massive  granite  rock  was 
known  only  to  Jeremiah  and  Baruch,  who  were  the 
Grand  Chaplain  and  the  Scribe  of  the  Order  of  Knights. 
In  years  gone  by  it  had  been  a  lair  for  wild  beasts,  and 
after  that  it  had  been  occupied  by  a  witch,  whose  wild 
incantations  had  put  the  people  to  flight,  and  but  few 
dared  to  pass  that  way  in  the  night.  Hence  it  came  to 
pass  that  at  the  fall  of  the  temple  the  chamber  was 
already  a  lodge-room,  dedicated  to  the  Knights  of  the 
East.  Toward  this  cave  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  bent 
their  footsteps.  They  were  overpowered  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  and  were  in  sore  distress 
at  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  the  ark  and  the 
pillar. 

"  This  is  the  Lord's  doings,  and  marvelous  in  our 
eyes,"  said  the  Seer  after  a  long  silence. 

"  We  can  only  state  the  case  to  the  craft  as  it  is," 
said  Baruch,  "  and  we  ought  to  be  thankful  that  our 
seven  brethren  were  present,  else  we  might  be  accused 
by  the  craft  of  dishonesty  of  purpose." 

"  Jehovah  always  has  eye  witnesses,"  said  the  prophet. 
"  He  never  leaves  His  children  to  the  mercy  of  man, 
only  for  a  season  ;  but  look  !  is  not  that  a  stranger 
standing  in  the  entrance  of  the  cave?" 

The  king's  path  was  a  winding  one,  shaded  by  olive 
trees,  so  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  see  even  the 
face  of  the  rock,  until  turning  a  sharp  angle  in  the  path 
they  came  directly  upon  him.  The  sun  had  not  yet 


IO8  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

risen,  and  they  were  at  a  loss  to  know  who  he  could 
be  and  the  nature  of  his  business.  It  was  well  known 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  that  since  the  liberation 
of  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  they  had  been  living  in  the 
King's  Tomb,  and  it  was  also  reported  that  there  was  a 
secret  understanding  between  Nebuchadnezzar  and  the 
Seer,  for  at  his  command  Baruch  had  been  liberated, 
and  not  only  that,  the  Czar  had  commanded  that  they 
be  maintained  from  the  store-house  of  the  city.  When 
they  returned  from  Egypt  and  took  up  their  abode  in 
the  cave  the  Jews  rejoiced  greatly,  as  they  both  feared 
and  hated  the  Seer.  As  they  advanced  toward  the 
stranger,  and  were  about  to  exchange  friendly  saluta- 
tions, his  raiment  was  changed  to  lightning  and  his 
face  like  unto  the  sun.  As  he  stood  before  them  they 
recognized  the  same  angel  that  had  appeared  to  them 
at  the  corner  of  the  temple.  Rooted  to  the  spot,  they 
dare  not  look  up.  "  Peace  be  unto  you,  for,  as  Noah 
went  forth  from  Ararat  to  found  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth,  so  shall  you  go  forth  from  Jerusalem  to  found 
the  Kingdom  of  our  God.  Fear  not.  I  go  before  you 
into  Joppa."  When  they  looked  up  he  had  vanished 
out  of  their  sight. 

"  Why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ? "  The 
speaker  had  just  ridden  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
and  throwing  his  bridle  over  the  bough  of  an  olive  tree 
sprang  from  his  horse  and  confronted  the  two  men 
before  they  had  recovered  their  presence  of  mind 


THE   ARK   OF  THE   COVENANT.  IOQ 

sufficiently  to  comprehend  that  they  were  still  in  the 
land  of  the  living  and  that  grand  work  must  be  accom- 
plished before  they  would  be  called  hence.  As  soon  as 
they  recognized  the  young  prince  they  were  anxious  to 
know  the  whereabouts  of  Myra  and  Tea  Tephi,  and  if 
any  mishap  had  befallen  them.  Having  been  assured 
that  they  were  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  house  of  one  Cor- 
nelius, a  friend  of  the  prophet,  they  entered  the  cave 
and  sat  down.  Strange  things  had  taken  place  during 
the  past  few  months.  The  governor  and  his  staff  of 
officers  had  been  killed  by  Ishmael,  the  princess  stolen 
and  rescued  by  the  Ethiopian  and  the  prince,  their 
flight  into  Egypt  and  their  hasty  return  to  the  land  of 
their  birth,  but  strangest  of  all  was  the  mysterious 
disappearance  of  the  ark  and  the  pillar.  Having  related 
to  the  prince  the  whole  of  their  adventures  during  the 
night,  and  finding  he  had  no  solution  to  give,  the  prophet 
touched  the  secret  spring  of  the  inner  sanctum  sanctorum 
when  a  flood  of  light  burst  upon  him. 

He  arose  hastily  and  entering  the  passage  the  door 
was  shut  by  an  unseen  hand,  and  he  was  alone.  As  he 
passed  on  down  the  corridor  the  light  grew  brighter 
and  brighter,  there  was  a  sound  as  of  the  rushing  of 
many  mighty  waters,  while  heavenly  music  charmed  his 
now  bewildered  senses.  The  lamb  that  he  had  placed 
on  the  altar  for  a  sacrifice  was  now  being  consumed  by 
a  fire  that  was  coming  down  from  heaven,  and  while  he 
looked,  behold !  a  lion  stood  upon  one  side  of '  the 


110  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

throne  and  a  unicorn  on  the  other,  while  an  eagle  with 
outstretched  wings  was  standing  on  the  top  of  the 
throne.  Advancing,  he  sat  down,  and  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  unto  him.  He  saw  in  the  vision  the  ark 
and  the  pillar  directly  under  him,  and  then  he  heard  a 
voice  saying :  "  Let  this  seat  be  forever  vacant  from 
this  hour."  The  fire  went  out,  the  roaring  ceased,  the 
music  died  away  and  the  prophet  slept  as  sweetly  as  a 
child  in  its  mother's  arms.  No  fears  for  time,  no  fears 
for  eternity. 

Silently  Baruch  and  the  prince  came  down  the  corri- 
dor and  entered  the  chamber.  They  saw  the  chair  oc- 
cupied by  God's  anointed.  Little  did  they  dream  that 
it  was  given  them  to  behold  the  chair  occupied  for  the 
last  time.  As  soon  as  the  prophet  awoke  it  would  be 
vacant  forever. 

"  Tis  the  hour  of  Judah's  travail, 

'Tis  the  darkness  of  her  night, 
'Tis  the  time  of  Levi's  trouble, 

But  beyond  it  beams  the  light. 
Look  !  the  great  and  grand  Creator 

Hides  away  their  ark  from  sight. 
Judah,  Levi,  thou  art  wanting, 

Israel's  nine  proclaim  the  right." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    ANCIE  N'T    NINE. 

IN  the  secret  chamber  leading  from  the  king's  cave, 
wherein  the  "  ark  of  the  covenant  "  was  discovered  by 
Jeremiah,  were  convened  nine  men,  whose  names  will 
be  found  in  the  ark,  in  the  fullness  of  time,  written  in 
letters  of  blood.  Happy  are  they  who  bring  it  forth  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah  on  that  day. 

The  nine  were  now  being  consecrated  by  the  prophet 
Jeremiah.  The  chamber  was  hung  in  tapestry  of  red, 
white,  and  blue  velvet,  emblazoned  with  nine  stars.  The 
throne  in  the  East  whereon  sat  the  Seer  was  elevated 
by  nine  steps,  supported  by  seven  lions,  one  eagle,  and 
centrally  by  a  cherubim,  clothed  with  the  sun,  standing 
upon  the  moon  and  crowned  with  a  diadem  of  nine 
stars.  In  the  north  were  five  thrones,  and  in  the 
south  were  five  thrones.  On  the  ten  thrones  sat  nine 
men,  one  throne  being  vacant  during  all  time,  for  on 
that  throne  sat  Jeremiah  when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  re- 
vealed to  him  the  secret  hiding-place  of  the  ark,  and 
who  had  promised  to  go  before  him  on  to  Israelitish 
soil,  and  there  show  him  the  holy  ground  that  would 
hide  away  from  Judah  that  pledge  that  had  been  given 

(in) 


112  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

them  by  Jehovah  until  the  final  consummation  of  all 
things.  And  from  that  hour  they  should  say  no  more 
"  the  ark  of  the  covenant." 

It  was  to  pass  out  of  their  hands  and  minds  into  the 
hands  and  minds  of  a  lost  and  nameless  race,  who  would 
acknowledge  and  bow  down  before  "  the  Lord  our  Right- 
eousness." For,  says  Jeremiah,  "  In  his  days  Judah 
shall  be  saved  and  Israel  shall  dwell  safely,  and  this  is 
his  name  whereby  he  shall  be  called."  On  the  throne 
in  the  East  sat  Jeremiah.  Over  his  head  was  a  chain 
of  gold  having  three  links.  In  the  left-hand  link  was 
the  name  Judah  written  in  Hebrew  ;  in  the  right,  Israel, 
written  in  Greek  ;  and  in  the  central  link  was  a  lamb, 
with  his  head  reclining  on  Jacob's  pillar.  Over  these 
links  were  three  mottoes.  Over  the  one  on  the  left 
was  written :  "  We  have  slain  the  Lamb."  Over  the 
Lamb  was  written  :  "  Before  Abraham  was  I  am."  At 
the  right,  over  the  head  of  Israel,  was  written  :  "  For 
the  Lord  hath  chosen  Jacob  unto  Himself,  and  Israel 
for  His  peculiar  treasure."  Seated  in  the  south  were 
Baruch  and  Eochaid  the  prince,  while  the  seven  were 
Israelites  of  the  house  of  Benjamin.  The  order  would 
from  that  hour  be  known  as  "  The  Ancient  Nine." 

When  Jeremiah  arose  the  eyes  of  the  nine  were  riv- 
eted upon  the  man  whom  angels  delighted  to  honor. 
From  underneath  the  folds  of  his  white  robe  he  drew 
forth  a  silver  lancet ;  then,  baring  his  arm,  he  pierced  a 
vein,  and  taking  up  a  tiny  golden  inkstand  he  allowed  the 


THE   ANCIENT  NINE.  113 

blood  to  trickle  drop  by  drop  into  it  until  it  was  full  then 
severing  the  vein,  he  bound  up  the  wound  with  a  silken 
scarf.  And  now,  as  he  turns  his  eyes  toward  heaven, 
he  seemed  about  to  be  translated,  and  thus  he  spoke  : 
"  The  oracles  that  were  born  in  Eden  have  been  faith- 
fully transmitted  down  through  the  generations  from 
father  to  son  through  secret  signs,  grips,  and  pass- 
words, up  to  the  building  of  the  pyramid,  under  the 
guiding  hand  of  our  grand  master  Job  ;  thence  onward 
to  the  building  of  the  temple  under  the  ruling  power 
of  our  two  worthy  and  most  exalted  masters  Hiram 
king  of  Tyre,  and  Hiram  Abif,  thence  onward  to  this 
hour.  The  seven  are  called  together  to  add  to  their 
number  two  more,  making  you,  at  the  close  of  this 
conclave,  '  The  Ancient  Nine/  to  keep  in  remembrance 
the  secret  hiding-place  of  the  '  Ark  of  our  God.'  Happy 
are  the  nine  who,  in  the  latter  days,  shall  bear  the  ark 
back  again  to  our  fallen  city  and  countrymen.  And 
you  hereby  most  solemnly  swear,  that  you  will  keep 
and  conceal  the  secret  place  of  the  ark  of  the  Most 
High  God,  revealing  it  to  none  save  him  that  hath  been 
appointed  to  fill  the  place  of  a  dead  brother.  And  you 
hereby  solemnly  swear  that  none  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
or  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  shall  ever  be  a  member  of  your 
conclave.  The  ark  to  them  is  lost.  In  future  genera- 
tions, wherever  they  may  wander,  there  will  be  no  re- 
membrance of  the  ark.  Their  synagogues  will  be  void 
of  it ;  they  will  remember  it  no  more,  for  this  is  the 


114  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

sacred  link  that  binds  Israel  to  the  Branch,  '  The  Lord 
our  Righteousness.'  All  nations  of  the  earth  in  process 
of  time  will  sit  in  secret  conclave  one  after  another,  as 
ages  succeed  ages,  save  Judah  and  Levi  ;  they,  and 
they  only,  are  forever  debarred  from  an  entrance  into 
your  council.  The  vacant  chair  will  remind  you  that 
all  prophecy  must  be  fulfilled.  That  seat  must  be  for- 
ever vacant.  It  will  remind  you,  also,  that  from  under- 
neath that  chair  went  forth  the  ark  to  be  buried  on 
Israelitish  soil.  It  will  remind  you  that  Jeremiah  of 
the  fated  tribes  was  its  last  occupant.  Let  the  ark  be 
brought  forth." 

Silently  as  the  angel  of  death  guards  the  departing 
spirit  of  the  cherubim,  so  in  like  manner  was  the  ark 
lifted  from  its  hiding-place  and  set  upon  the  golden 
table,  in  the  chancel  before  the  throne.  All  heads  were 
bowed,  for  before  them  lay  the  corpse  of  Judah.  Their 
last  king  was  no  more.  Their  throne  and  their  ark  was 
to  be  transplanted  till  the  end  of  time.  Judah's  God 
was  from  that  moment  Israel's  God.  The  Branch,  the 
Mediator,  "  was  not  sent  only  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel."  Silently  each  man  signed  his  name 
in  the  blood  of  the  prophet,  silently  it  was  placed 
within  the  ark,  and  silently  the  lid  of  the  casket  closed 
until  the  fulfillment  of  all  the  laws  and  the  prophets. 
Then  the  voice  of  the  Seer  rang  out  through  the  arches 
of  the  chamber :  "  The  first  great  duty  of  Masons 
when  convened?" 


THE  ANCIENT  NINE. 

"  To  see  that  we  are  duly  guarded." 

"  Attend  to  that  duty,  and  inform  the  guard  that  I 
am  about  to  close  this  conclave  in  the  name  of  Jehovah. 
And  now  may  the  God  of  our  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  with  the  Lord  our  Righteousness  as  Medi- 
ator, be  with  you,  both  now  and  forever.  So  mote 
it  be." 

After  leaving  the  conclave,  the  young  prince  wan- 
dered down  the  mountain  pass  lost  in  profound  medi- 
tation. His  thoughts  went  over  the  past  history  of 
the  Jewish  nation.  Momentous  scenes  had  been  en- 
acted in  Babylon  during  the  past  few  years.  He  saw 
in  his  mind  the  three  Hebrew  worthies  cast  into  a  fiery 
furnace,  and  lo,  the  fourth  appeared,  like  unto  the  Son 
of  God.  They  had  walked  forth  without  the  smell 
of  fire  on  their  garments.  They  had  refused  to  bow 
down  to  the  golden  god  set  up  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
and  their  God  had  delivered  them. 

Who  were  the  prophets,  and  whence  came  their 
power?  Jeremiah  had  prophesied  the  downfall  of  the 
Jewish  kingdom  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
lo !  these  things  came  to  pass.  He  saw  Daniel  a  cap- 
tive, slave,  through  the  interpretation  of  a  dream, 
made  ruler  over  the  whole  province  of  Babylon.  And 
then  this  same  Daniel  had  prophesied  that  the  Czar 
should  be  driven  forth,  and  for  the  space  of  seven  years 
eat  grass  like  the  oxen,  before  he  would  acknowledge 
the  true  God  of  the  Hebrews,  and,  verily,  in  that  same 


Il6  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

year  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  Then  his  thoughts 
flew  back  over  the  history  of  this  peculiar  people.  He 
saw  the  waters  of  the  River  Jordan  divide  ;  he  saw 
Joshua,  with  his  sword  raised  on  high,  command  the  sun 
and  moon  to  stand  still ;  he  saw  Samson  draw  a  living 
fountain  of  water  from  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass  ;  he  saw 
Moses,  at  the  head  of  three  millions  of  people,  standing 
on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea  ;  he  saw  at  his  command 
the  waters  flow  back  from  their  places  and  dry  land 
appear ;  he  saw  that  mighty  host  pass  over  dry-shod. 
"  Lift  thou  up  thy  rod  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  over 
the  sea  and  divide  it,  and  the  children  of  Israel  shall  go 
on  dry  land  through  the  midst  of  the  sea."  Did  the 
waters  congeal  ?  No.  For  was  not  this  a  semi-tropical 
climate  ?  Again,  he  saw  Pharaoh  and  his  hosts  in  hot 
pursuit ;  he  saw  them  enter  the  same  road  to  cross  the 
sea  ;  he  saw  on  the  other  shore  Moses  raise  his  staff 
on  high,  and  Pharaoh  and  his  hosts  were  drowned  in 
the  sea.  He  heard  the  glad  cry  echo  and  re-echo,  bound 
and  rebound  from  shore  to  shore,  "  The  horse  and  the 
rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea."  He  saw  the  ten 
plagues,  visited  one  after  another  through  the  command 
of  Moses,  smiting  the  Egyptians  and  bringing  upon  them 
ruin  and  death.  And  then  his  thoughts  flew  back  to 
Joseph,  once  a  captive  slave  like  Daniel,  and  like  him 
through  the  interpretation  of  a  dream  made  ruler  over 
Egypt.  From  whence  came  they  ?  Were  they  not  orig- 
inally of  the  same  kindred,  blood,  and  tongue  as  the 


THE  ANCIENT  NINE. 

Chaldeans  ?  Yes,  for  he  saw  Abraham  coming  up  out  of 
Chaldea,  to  become  the  father  of  this  peculiar  people. 
Who  then  was  the  God  of  the  Hebrews  ?  Was  he  not 
a  God  of  the  Chaldean  and  the  Egyptian  ?  Was  he 
not  a  God  of  the  Ethiopian  from  Nubia,  even  unto 
Abyssinia.  Again,  he  saw  them  forced  to  endure  all 
the  toils  and  privations  of  a  common  slave.  He  saw 
them  purloining  all  the  golden  jewelry  prior  to  their 
exodus  ;  he  saw  them  wandering  for  forty  years  ;  he 
saw  the  whole  three  millions  cut  down  out  of  time, 
save  Caleb  and  Joshua ;  he  saw  Jerusalem  overthrown, 
the  temple  pillaged,  the  Hebrews  again  in  bondage, 
while  the  holy  vessels  that  the  Czar  had  taken  from 
the  temple  were  at  that  moment  being  debased  by  un- 
holy hands.  Again,  he  saw  Zedekiah,  bound  hand  and 
foot  in  fetters  of  brass,  standing  before  the  king,  who 
at  his  command  was  made  sightless  forever.  He  saw 
his  family  cut  down  before  him  ;  he  saw  Judah  debased. 
But  the  seed  of  Judah  could  never  die.  God's  cove- 
nant with  David  was  as  enduring  as  the  everlasting 
hills.  "  Hark  !  " 

A  crackling  of  the  brush  attracted  his  attention,  but 
before  he  could  draw  his  sword  from  the  scabbard  he 
was  borne  down  to  the  earth,  a  mantle  was  thrown  over 
his  head,  and  he  was  bound  hand  and  foot.  Then  one 
of  the  ruffians  stooped  down  and,  bending  over  him, 
hissed  in  his  ear,  "  Give  me  the  secret  word  of  the 
Mystic  Brotherhood  and  your  life  will  be  spared.  Re- 


118  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

fuse,  and  by  the  powers  of  darkness  you  shall  die  the 
death." 

The  prince  knew  too  well  that  his  hour  had  come. 
His  thoughts  went  out  to  the  beautiful  princess  Tea 
Tephi,  whom  he  had  rescued  from  the  hands  of  her 
enemies.  Why  had  he  not  spoken  to  her  of  his  great 
love,  that  she  might  weep  over  his  coffin.  Now  he 
must  die  uncared  for  on  a  foreign  shore.  Rather  ten 
thousand  deaths  than  the  betrayal  of  his  masonic  vows. 
"  I  have  but  one  answer,"  said  the  prince,  as  soon  as 
the  mantle  was  withdrawn  so  that  he  could  breathe. 
"  And  that,"  hissed  the  assassin  ? 

"  Never ! " 

"Then  die!" 

"  Hist !  some  one  approaches.  Let  us  bear  the  body 
to  the  lower  dungeon,  peradventure  the  lamp  has  not 
yet  gone  out." 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE     DUNGEON. 

WHEN  the  prince  returned  to  consciousness  he  found 
himself  in  a  dark  loathsome  dungeon,  lying  on  the  cold, 
slimy  floor,  without  even  a  straw  for  a  pillow  to  rest 
his  aching  head  and  throbbing  temples.  He  tried  to 
rise,  but  he  found  he  could  not.  There  were  strange 
and  grating  noises  in  his  head ;  his  brain  was  on  fire ; 
he  was  dying  of  thirst.  Oh  for  just  one  drop  of  water; 
then  he  could  die  in  peace.  But  alas,  there  was  no 
hope.  The  fever  burned,  and  now  he  began  to  talk 
wildly  and  to  beat  his  head  against  the  walls  of  his 
prison,  crying  loudly  for  the  princess  he  loved  so  well. 
But  the  walls  yielded  back  to  him  only  the  echo  of  his 
own  voice.  How  long  he  had  been  in  the  dungeon  he 
knew  not.  He  only  knew  that  darkness,  like  the  Egyp- 
tian darkness,  which  could  be  felt,  was  hovering  over 
his  brain,  and  that  in  a  few  short  hours  he  would  stand  in 
the  presence  of  Jeremiah's  God.  He  had  never  prayed, 
but  now  he  felt  his  soul  lifted  up  to  a  great  white 
throne,  where  innumerable  angels  ministered  unto  those 
who  had  been  faithful  to  their  trust.  Had  he  not  been 
faithful  even  in  the  hands  of  the  assassin  ?  Was  he  not 
at  that  moment  asking  himself  the  question,  if  God  was 

("9) 


I2O  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

not  a  God  of  all.  Oh  if  he  could  but  see  once  more  his 
friend  the  prophet,  he  would  lead  him,  even  as  a  little 
child  is  led  by  his  father,  into  the  true  path  of  eternal 
life.  He  must  not  die.  He  would  not  die. 

Again  he  tried  to  raise  himself,  while  the  fever 
burned  into  a  flame  that  would  consume  him,  even  as 
the  fire  that  came  down  from  heaven  consumed  the 
sacrifice.  How  long  he  lay  thus  he  knew  not,  but  it 
seemed  to  him  like  an  eternity  of  years. 

At  last  the  door  of  the  dungeon  is  thrown  open  by 
the  Ethiopian,  and  by  the  flickering  rays  of  the  lantern 
he  sees  a  prisoner  lying  on  the  floor  in  a  death-like 
stupor.  As  he  comes  nearer,  and  the  rays  of  the  light 
fall  on  the  face  of  the  prisoner,  he  starts  back  in  affright. 
Merciful  God,  it  is  Eochaid  the  prince.  Tenderly  he 
raises  him  up  in  his  arms,  and  bears  him  down  through 
the  passage  to  an  open  court,  then  on  through  another 
passage  and  through  another  court  until  he  comes  to 
the  house  of  Cornelius.  Here  he  calls  loudly  for  help. 
The  door  is  quickly  thrown  open,  and  the  stalwart  Ethi- 
opian bears  his  burden  up  the  winding  stairs  to  an  airy 
chamber,  that  is  being  hastily  prepared  for  his  recep- 
tion ;  then,  laying  him  down,  he  presses  a  sponge  filled 
with  water  to  his  lips,  he  bathes  his  head  with  water, 
he  applies  the  blisters,  and  still  the  patient  remains  in 
a  death-like  trance,  while  the  fever  burns. 

Seeing  that  nothing  more  could  be  done,  he  called 
the  princess,  and  hastened  away  toward  the  cave. 


THE   DUNGEON.  123 

Meeting  the  Seer  and  Baruch  coming  down  the  mount, 
he  tells  them  of  the  finding  of  the  prince  and  of  the 
death-struggle  now  going  on  in  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
and  bids  them  hasten,  or  it  will  be  too  late. 

Within  the  sick  chamber  Myra  and  Tea  Tephi  were 
doing  all  in  their  power  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of  the 
prince.  Now  he  rouses  up  and  calls  loudly  to  be  re- 
leased from  the  dungeon,  then  he  calls  for  water.  Again 
he  calls  loudly  for  Jeremiah,  to  show  him  the  true  path 
that  will  lead  him  to  the  God  of  the  Hebrews.  Then 
his  voice  dies  away,  and  they  hear  him  murmur  the 
name  of  Tea  Tephi.  Now  she  knows  that  he  loves  her. 
He  had  never  plighted  his  vows,  but  now  her  heart 
goes  out  to  him  as  it  had  never  gone  out  to  another. 
She  knows  now  that  she  would  go  with  him  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  and  if,  as  Jeremiah  had  spoken,  she, 
and  she  only,  was  to  continue  the  house  of  Judah,  who 
was  there  in  all  of  the  wide,  wide  world  that  could  fill 
his  place.  "  O  Jeremiah,  Jeremiah,  hasten  and  save 
him.  Thou  hast  the  faith  that  will  open  the  very  gates 
of  heaven.  Angels  delight  to  honor  thee.  Thy  power 
at  the  foot  of  the  throne  will  save  him." 

But  still  the  fever  rages  and  the  spark  of  life  flickers 
in  its  casket.  Will  it  go  out?  "  Hark! "  Jeremiah  is 
in  prayer.  The  windows  of  heaven  are  opened,  the 
great  white  throne  appears,  angels  and  archangels  stoop 
down  to  listen,  while  the  flood-gates  of  God's  love  have 
covered  the  house  like  a  mantle.  The  throne !  The 


124  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

Lamb !  Speak,  O  God,  and  he  shall  be  healed.  And 
now  a  great  calm  comes  over  the  prince,  and  he  sleeps. 
The  voice  of  the  prophet  dies  away,  the  twilight  comes 
on,  the  night  grows  into  morning,  the  sun  rises  over 
the  craggy  peaks  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  still  she 
watches  and  the  prince  sleeps.  Will  he  awake  clothed 
and  in  his  right  mind?  Hope  on,  sweet  maiden,  for 
the  prophet  sleeps. 

Were  he  not  assured  that  his  prayer  had  been 
answered,  he  would  be  standing  at  the  bedside  of  the 
dying  prince,  comforting  you  in  your  sorrow.  But  he 
knows  now  that  two  hearts  have  been  made  as  one. 
He  has  seen  in  the  distance  the  fruition  of  all  his  hopes. 
He  knows  that  Eochaid  has  accepted  David's  God,  and 
that  in  him  the  kingdom  of  Israel  has  a  firm  foundation. 

"TeaTephi."  The  prince  has  awakened,  and  as  he 
calls  her  name  he  stretches  forth  his  hand,  and  she 
places  her  own  in  his. 

"  Where  am  I  ?  " 

"  You  are  in  the  house  of  Cornelius,  you  have  been 
very  sick  with  a  fever,  but  you  are  better  now ;  do  not 
try  to  talk,  but  sleep  and  rest." 

"  Oh  I  have  had  such  a  beautiful  dream.  I  thought 
I  was  in  my  father's  palace,  and  you  were  with  me,  and 
together  we  built  a  beautiful  temple.  When  it  was 
finished,  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  dedicated  it  to  your  God. 
Then  Jeremiah  blessed  us,  and  we  became  his  children. 
Then  we  ruled  the  kingdom,  and  it  became  great  and 


THE   DUNGEON.  12$ 

powerful,  and  all  nations  looked  to  us  for  help,  because 
we  had  the  ark  of  the  covenant  secreted  on  our  soil  and 
Jacob's  pillar  in  our  temple.  Then  there  appeared  an 
angel  unto  me,  and  said  if  we  were  Judah  we  must  be 
crowned  upon  it  or  we  could  not  reign  over  Israel. 
Then  we  were  crowned,  and  the  men  and  women  car- 
ried palms  in  their  hands,  and  the  children  carried 
flowers,  which  they  strewed  in  our  pathway,  while  all 
of  the  people  waved  their  palms  and  shouted  '  Long 
live  the  house  of  Zedekiah,  the  seed  royal  of  the  house 
of  David.'  Will  you  go  with  me  to  my  island  home 
to  share  with  me  my  joys  and  my  sorrows?  Speak 
now,  that  I  may  sleep  to  awake  to  a  new  life." 

The  answer  was  given,  the  pledges  sealed,  and  the 
prince  slept. 

After  Eochaid  had  been  struck  down  by  the  ruffians, 
he  was  taken  in  the  arms  of  two  of  the  gang  and  borne 
rapidly  away  toward  the  city.  Meeting  the  Ethiopian 
on  his  way  to  the  prophet's  cave,  they  told  him  they 
had  found  a  man  who  had  fallen  by  the  wayside,  and 
they  were  bearing  him  into  the  city.  When  the 
Ethiopian  arrived  at  the  cave,  where  he  should  have 
met  the  prince,  his  suspicions  were  aroused,  and  he 
blamed  himself  for  not  having  taken  a  look  at  the  sick 
man  he  had  met,  so  he  hastened  back  to  Jerusalem, 
to  find  out  if  possible  where  the  prince  lodged.  He 
knew  almost  every  one  in  the  city,  as  he  had  been  a 
favorite  slave  of  king  Zedekiah,  and  now  he  was  a 


126  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

favorite  with  them  all,  since  Zedekiah  was  a  captive.  He 
knew  every  dungeon  and  vault  underneath  the  palace, 
but  he  had  no  suspicion  that  there  could  be  any  prison- 
ers in  the  dungeon,  as  he  had,  by  the  command  of  Neb- 
uchadnezzar, thrown  open  all  of  the  doors.  He,  how- 
ever, thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to  make  an  investi- 
gation, as  something  he  had  heard  drop  from  one  of 
the  hostlers  made  him  fear  that  the  prince  had  been 
waylaid  by  the  gang,  who  were  determined  to  wrench 
the  password  from  a  master  mason,  and  he  knew  that 
Eochaid  was  a  mason  of  high  rank ;  and  if  he  had  been 
murdered  by  the  men  around  the  palace  no  better  place 
than  one  of  the  dungeons  could  be  found  for  the  con- 
cealment of  the  victim,  hence  his  search  and  his  horror 
in  finding  the  prince. 

He  now  determined  to  bring  the  guilty  men  to  judg- 
ment, and  accordingly  informed  the  hostler  that  he  had 
found  the  prince,  and  that  he  was  then  in  a  condition 
to  reveal  to  them  the  password  of  a  mason.  The  four 
men,  thinking  that  the  slave  was  anxious  to  gain  pos- 
session of  the  password,  followed  him  down  through 
the  lower  passages  to  the  dungeon  wherein  they  had 
cast  the  prince.  The  Ethiopian  unlocked  the  door  and 
told  them  to  enter.  As  soon  as  the  last  one  passed  into 
the  cell,  the  door  was  shut  upon  them,  the  key  turned 
in  the  lock,  the  bolts  shot  back  into  their  sockets,  and 
they  were  left  to  suffer  the  extreme  penalty  of  an 
Ethiopian  law. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DEATH    OF     MYRA. 

THE  creaking  of  the  windlass,  the  clanking  of  chains, 
the  flapping  of  the  sails,  all  told  the  travelers  that  they 
were  starting  on  a  long  journey  to  the  home  of  the 
"  Occidental  Prince."  Seated  in  the  cabin  of  the  ship 
was  Jeremiah  and  Baruch.  The  prince,  with  Myra  and 
Tea  Tephi,  were  watching  the  sailors  on  deck  hoist  the 
sails,  and  were  listening  to  that  peculiar  cry  of  the 
sailor  as  the  anchor  came  up  out  of  the  muddy  water 
and  was  secured  to  the  side  of  the  ship. 

The  Ethiopian  was  helping  the  sailors,  as  they  all 
admired  him  on  account  of  his  prowess  in  the  recent 
combat  against  the  men  of  Ishmael. 

"  You  had  better  look  the  chart  over  carefully,"  said 
the  Seer,  "  so  that  there  can  be  no  mistake.  You  must 
remember  that  we  are  leaving  the  seven  here  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  death  might  sweep  us  three  away  before  we 
could  accomplish  our  purpose.  I  am  satisfied  that  the 
ark  and  pillar  will  arrive  safely,  for  God  has  so  ordered, 
and  His  promises  are  as  enduring  as  the  everlasting 
hills.  Man  faileth  and  returneth  back  to  dust,  but  the 
word  of  God  is  both  sure  and  steadfast." 

"  The  chart  seems  to  be  imperfect,"  said  Baruch. 

"  Ah,  and  that  very  imperfection  is  what  covers  our 

(127) 


128  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

secret.  Man's  salvation  will  be  brought  about  through 
his  imperfection.  '  Behold  the  man  is  become  as  one 
of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil,'  transformed  him  from  the 
son  of  man  to  the  son  of  God.  From  earthly  to 
heavenly;  for,  says  Eve  on  the  birth  of  Cain,  '  I  have 
gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord,'  and  again  on  the  birth  of 
Seth,  from  which  sprang  our  race,  '  For  God  hath  ap- 
pointed me  another  seed  instead  of  Abel,  whom  Cain 
slew.'  Cain  and  his  posterity  were  destroyed ;  Seth 
saved  through  Noah.  From  our  imperfections  sprang 
the  promise  of  a  Redeemer.  I  had  rather  be  a  sinner 
with  that  knowledge  than  be  perfect  without  it,  for 
angels  fall,  and  hence  immortal  man  fell ;  but  the  very 
moment  they  partook  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowl- 
edge, that  moment  they  became  heirs  of  heaven  through 
the  promised  blood  of  a  Saviour,  and  through  that 
blood  must  remain  redeemed  forever." 

At  this  moment  the  prince  came  into  the  saloon,  and 
hearing  the  prophet  speaking  upon  the  subject  of  the 
fall  of  man,  desired  to  know  more. 

"  After  God  created  Adam  and  Eve,"  said  the  Seer, 
"  He  blessed  them,  and  said  unto  them,  '  Be  fruitful 
and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  subdue  it.' 
And  God  saw  everything  that  He  had  made,  and  behold ! 
it  was  very  good.  From  that  day  until  they  partook  of 
the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  was  no  doubt  thou- 
sands of  years,  for  the  earth  was  densely  inhabited." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?" 


DEATH   OF   MYRA.  I2Q 

"  From  the  facts.  First, '  And  Adam  called  his  wife's 
name  Eve,  because  she  was  the  mother  of  all  the  living.' 
This  was  before  God  made  coats  of  skin  to  clothe 
them.  And,  second,  Cain  said,  '  I  shall  be  a  fugitive 
and  a  vagabond  in  the  earth,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass 
that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall  slay  me.'  This 
proves  that  there  were  thousands  of  people  in  the  earth 
at  that  time.  These  were  a  race  of  immortals,  so  far  as 
death  was  concerned,  for  death  had  not  been  passed 
upon  man,  in  that  man  had  not  sinned,  and  it  was  a 
matter  of  impossibility  for  man  to  sin  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  good  and  evil.  Thus,  on  the  day  that  Adam 
partook  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  on  that  day  he  became 
a  dying  mortal,  and  from  that  day  he  lived  nine  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years,  and  he  died.  Prior  to  that  time 
he  had  no  age,  in  that  he  had  not  sinned.  The  next 
birth  after  the  so-called  fall  of  man  was  Cain,  who  was 
born  under  the  ban  of  death,  and  hence  he  is  called  a 
man  from  the  Lord.  Here  we  have  two  distinct  races 
of  men.  Now  when  the  sons  of  God  saw  the  daughters 
of  men,  that  they  were  fair,  they  began  to  inter-marry, 
which  produced  the  third  race.  Now  we  have  three 
distinct  classes  of  people,  viz. :  those  under  the  law, 
those  without  the  law,  and  those  born  in  a  positive  and 
negative  condition.  It  was  this  act  that  determined 
the  Lord  to  destroy  the  earth  and  bring  us  through  the 
loins  of  Seth." 

"  Why  do  you  think  they  were  immortal  ?  " 


130  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

"  Because  God  said :  '  My  spirit  shall  not  always 
strive  with  man,  for  that  he  also  is  flesh,'  meaning  that 
while  he  was  not  under  the  law  of  death  he  was  flesh 
and  blood,  like  those  born  in  sin,  and  hence  He  would 
give  them  one  hundred  and  twenty  years.  At  that 
time  the  ark  would  be  completed  and  He  would  destroy 
them  with  a  flood.  Job  says :  '  Hast  thou  marked  the 
old  way  which  wicked  men  have  trodden,  which  were 
cut  down  out  of  time,  whose  foundations  were  over- 
flown with  a  flood,  which  said  unto  God,  "  Depart  from 
us,"  and  "  What  can  the  Almighty  do  for  them  ?  "  '  " 

"  If,  as  you  say,  they  were  immortal,  how  then  were 
they  destroyed  ?  " 

"  They  were  not,  only  in  a  bodily  form  ;  they  inhabit 
the  world  to-day,  entering  into  men  and  women.  They 
tried  to  enter  the  body  of  Moses,  but  durst  not  bring  a 
railing  accusation  against  him.  Since  the  destruction 
of  the  earth  by  the  flood  they  are  afraid  of  the  water, 
and  hence  walk  in  dry  places.  In  Jerusalem  the  people 
test  even  the  dogs.  If  a  dog  is  afraid  of  the  water  he 
is  immediately  killed,  as  his  fear  of  the  water  leads  the 
people  to  suppose  he  has  a  mad  spirit." 

"  Why  do  they  think  it  is  one  of  those  spirits  that 
has  entered  the  dog?" 

"  Because  if  the  dog  bites  you,  then  you  in  turn  go 
mad  at  the  sight  of  water." 

"  What  will  be  their  final  end?  " 

"  Their  doom  is  no  resurrection.  Isaiah  says  of  them  : 


DEATH   OF   MYRA.  13! 

'  O  Lord,  our  God,  other  lords  beside  Thee  have  had 
dominion  over  us,  but  by  Thee  only  will  we  make  men- 
tion of  Thy  name  ;  they  are  dead  ;  they  shall  not  live  ; 
they  are  deceased ;  they  shall  not  rise.  Therefore  Thou 
hast  visited  and  destroyed  them,  and  made  all  of  their 
memory  to  perish.'  Again  the  Psalmist  says :  '  I  have 
said  ye  are  gods,  and  all  of  you  are  the  children  of  the 
Most  High,  but  ye  shall  die  like  men.'  Thus  you  will 
notice  that  when  God  gave  the  commandments  to 
Moses,  the  first  was :  '  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  Me.'  " 

"  If,  as  you  say,  death  had  not  been  passed  upon 
men,  in  that  men  had  not  sinned,  how  then  were  they 
accountable  ?  " 

"  That  was  brought  to  pass  through  inter-marriage. 
They  produced  a  race  that  were  mortal  and  immortal ; 
with  the  law  and  without  the  law ;  with  the  promise  of 
a  Redeemer  and  without  the  promise ;  and  hence  Job 
says :  '  Now  what  can  the  Almighty,  do  for  them  ? ' 
Those  of  Adam's  race  that  were  born  without  sin  per- 
ished without  sin,  and  hence  no  condemnation.  But 
the  giants  who  were  born  from  the  sons  of  God  and 
the  daughters  of  men  were  left  without  a  Redeemer, 
and  hence  no  resurrection.  When  Shiloh  comes  he  will 
go  into  the  prisons  and  preach  to  the  spirits,  and  from 
that  point  they  will  cease  to  become  the  torments  of 
men.  Then  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  will  be  founded. 
'  Peace  on  earth,  good  will  towards  men.' " 


132  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

"  And  are  two  kingdoms  to  be  set  up  ? "  asked  the 
prince. 

"  Yes ;  one  temporal  and  the  other  spiritual.  Shiloh 
will  come  to  Jerusalem  to  suffer  and  die  at  the  hands 
of  his  brethren.  He  will  rise  again,  thereby  making 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead  an  immortal  truth.  He 
will  then  go  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
and  they  will  accept  the  pledge,  and  through  them  in 
process  of  time  the  whole  world  will  be  brought  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  our  God.  This  is  the  true 
secret  of  Abraham's  call  up  out  of  Chaldea.  The  sons 
of  Noah  trampled  all  laws  under  their  feet,  and  hence 
God  made  for  Himself,  through  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
Israel  His  peculiar  treasure." 

"  And  how  will  the  world  know  it  is  Israel  if  they 
lose  their  name  and  identity?" 

"  Ah,  therein  is  the  blessing  concealed.  The  right- 
eous man  giveth  without  letting  the  right  hand  know 
what  the  left  hand  doeth.  If  state  and  war  secrets  were 
known  the  kingdom  would  be  overthrown.  God's 
movements  are  mysterious ;  the  young  and  noble  are 
taken,  while  the  aged  and  decrepid  are  left  in  their 
sorrow.  Judah  will  be  known  throughout  all  time,  and 
from  that  simple  fact  they  will  be  bereft  of  power. 
Their  only  safety  in  ages  to  come  will  be  within  the 
gates  of  their  brethren." 

"  And  will  they  know  them  ?  " 

"  No,  not  fully,  until  the  ark  is  brought  forth  by  our 


DEATH   OF   MYRA.  133 

brotherhood,  and  they  look  upon  Him  whom  they  have 
pierced." 

At  this  moment  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and 
Myra,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the'  Ethiopian,  came  into 
the  saloon.  A  palor  overspread  her  countenance  which 
the  Ethiopian  said  was  caused  by  the  action  of  the 
waves,  but  the  prophet  shook  his  head.  For  the  first 
time  it  came  over  him  like  a  flash  of  lightning  that 
never  had  he  seen  her  in  his  visions  of  the  foreign 
shore.  It  was  Tea  Tephi,  and  she  was  always  alone. 
In  his  visions  of  Jerusalem  the  two  maidens  were 
always  together.  Was  she  about  to  join  her  father's 
family  ? 

During  the  day  the  ship  doctor  came,  and  after  a 
careful  examination  passed  out  of  the  stateroom  with  a 
troubled  look  that  did  not  escape  the  notice  of  either 
the  prophet  or  the  prince.  Tea  Tephi  had  not  been 
informed  of  the  condition  of  the  princess,  she  suppos- 
ing it  was  from  the  effects  of  the  choppy  sea,  that  is 
confined  almost  entirely  to  lakes  and  seas,  but  the  time 
had  now  come  when  the  maiden  must  be  informed  of 
the  dangerous  condition  of  Myra.  Accordingly  the 
prophet  bade  the  Ethiopian  summon  her  to  the  deck. 

When  the  princess  came  up  she  scanned  the  features 
of  the  prophet  for  some  sign  whereby  she  might  divine 
the  nature  of  his  call,  but  she  could  not  read  his  face. 
As  she  sat  down  beside  him  he  took  her  hand  in  his 
own  and  said : 


134  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

"  My  daughter,  in  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
there  are  no  sieges ;  neither  is  there  sword,  nor  famine, 
nor  pestilence.  The  people  there  learn  war  no  more. 
Your  brothers  and  sisters  all  fell  by  the  sword,  save 
two.  Ishmael  will  meet  the  Chaldean  hosts,  in  the 
country  of  Ammon,  and  will  perish  in  like  manner,  as 
others  perished  at  his  hand.  Myra  must  soon  join 
them,  and  you  and  you  only  will  stand  alone,  the  rep- 
resentative of  Judah's  God.  His  throne  must  be  estab- 
lished. The  seed  of  David  will  rule  forever ;  God  hath 
declared  it.  Let  us  go  down  now,  as  the  hour  is  at 
hand." 

When  the  prophet  entered  the  sick-room  his  counte- 
nance was  lit  up  with  a  halo  of  glory.  Taking  the  hand 
of  Myra  in  his  own,  he  looked  up  to  heaven  and  com- 
manded the  blessing  of  Judah's  God  to  rest  upon  her. 
A  sweet  and  heavenly  calm  came  over  the  countenance 
of  the  princess,  while  she  repeated  from  the  Psalms  of 
David : 

"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou  art  with 
me ;  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  they  comfort  me." 

"  Look  !  The  gates  of  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
are  open.  Behold  my  mother  standing  upon  the  bat- 
tlements of  heaven,  with  outstretched  arms,  awaiting 
to  welcome  me  home,  to  go  no  more  out  forever.  The 
angel  of  death  hovers  over  me ;  I  see  the  shadow  of 
his  wings,  but  beyond  the  shadow  is  everlasting  day. 


DEATH    OF   MYRA.  135 

I  come !  I  come !  Hark !  David  calls  me  home.  He 
knows  that  my  beautiful  sister  will  become  the  mother 
of  nations,  while  I  will  become  as  his  little  child,  wan- 
dering through  the  green  pastures  and  beside  the  still 
waters  of  which  he  spoke,  guarded  by  cherubims  and 
seraphims,  listening  to  the  heavenly  music  of  angels 
and  archangels,  guided  by  the  hand  of  my  mother  up 
to  the  throne  of  David's  God.  I  come !  I  come  !  " 

Silently  the  angel  hovers  nearer  and  nearer.  Slowly 
the  shadow  of  death  falls  like  a  mantle  over  her  brow, 
gradually  it  sinks  lower  and  lower,  until  it  kisses  the 
lips  of  the  dying  princess,  while  her  spirit  wings  its 
flight  into  realms  of  everlasting  day.  The  sunbeams 
faded  away  into  twilight,  night  stole  into  morning, 
when  a  broken-hearted  company  stood  by  the  side  of 
the  rail  of  the  ship,  preparatory  to  consigning  all  that 
was  mortal  of  Myra  into  the  bosom  of  the  great  deep. 
A  stillness  like  that  unto  death  came  over  them  as  they 
stood  beside  the  sleeper.  Jeremiah  held  a  book  in  his 
hand,  and  from  the  pages  he  read : 

"  Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our 
sorrows.  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men.  He  was 
wounded  for  our  transgressions.  He  was  bruised  for 
our  iniquities,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed.  All 
we,  like  sheep,  have  gone  astray.  He  is  brought  as  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before  her 
shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth." 

Gently  the  body  was  raised  over  the  side  of  the  ship. 


136  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

A  movement  of  the  waters  and  Myra  was  at  rest.  And 
from  her  grave  went  forth  little  curling  waves  that 
rippled  around  the  ship,  thence  onward  and  backward 
until  they  kissed  the  shores  of  both  thrones,  a  link  in 
the  chain  that  would  never  be  severed  until  the 
thrones  were  again  united  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

TARA. 

"  THE  flags  seem  to  be  half-mast,"  said  the  Ethiop- 
ian, as  they  neared  the  bay  of  Drogheda  on  the  north- 
east coast  of  Ireland.  The  people  have  sighted  the 
ship,  and  are  swarming  upon  the  house-tops  and  on 
the  quays.  The  prince's  flag  was  flying  at  the  mast- 
head, so  that  all  the  people  knew  that  the  prince  was 
near  his  native  shore.  As  the  ship  entered  the  harbor 
and  came  up  to  her  anchorage  the  flags  were  all  run 
up  to  the  peak ;  then  there  went  up  a  shout  that  was 
echoed  and  re-echoed  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  island.  "  The  king  is  dead,  long  live  the  king." 

For  the  moment  the  prince  seemed  to  be  overpow- 
ered by  the  news  of  his  father's  death.  He  had  left 
him  in  perfect  health,  only  to  return  and  find  him 
numbered  among  the  dead.  Thousands  had  now 
gathered  upon  the  banks  of  the  river,  until  they  seemed 
to  be  like  the  sands  of  the  seashore  for  multitude. 

Never  had  the  prophet  witnessed  such  a  sight,  even 
in  his  Oriental  home.  Here  all  was  love  and  devo- 
tion ;  there  all  riot  and  confusion.  Here  the  city  was 
decked  with  flags  of  rejoicing ;  there  it  was  draped  in 
the  emblems  of  mourning.  Here  the  people  were 

(137) 


138  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

waiting  to  receive  their  king  with  outstretched  arms 
and  an  overflowing  heart ;  there,  bereft  of  home,  family, 
and  friends,  bowed  down  with  sorrow  and  with  chains, 
awaiting  in  darkness  and  despair  the  dread  summons 
that  will  call  him  to  his  silent  home.  Why  this  dif- 
ference ?  And  yet  "  hath  not  the  potter  power  over 
the  clay,  of  the  same  lump,  to  make  one  vessel  unto 
honor  and  another  unto  dishonor  ? "  Oh,  joy,  thou 
art  indeed  the  twin  sister  of  sorrow !  Wealth  and 
poverty,  sickness  and  health,  good  and  evil,  light  and 
darkness,  life  and  death,  all  seem  bound  together  by  a 
strange  fatality.  As  the  barge  moved  up  the  river  the 
multitude  that  thronged  the  shores  on  either  side  rent 
the  air  with  one  prolonged  shout,  that  settled  into  a 
roar  like  that  of  a  coming  tempest.  Hundreds  of  thou- 
sands had  gathered  in  and  around  the  city  and  temple 
to  welcome  and  crown  their  king.  When  the  barge 
landed  and  the  procession  moved  up  towards  the  hall, 
the  prince  and  princess  were  preceded  by  Jeremiah 
and  Baruch,  while  before  them  were  four  powerful 
"  Knights  of  the  East  "  bearing  the  sacred  stone,  upon 
which  rested  the  ark  of  the  covenant  covered  with  a 
mantle  of  royal  purple.  Before  them  were  children 
strewing  flowers  over  their  pathway,  while  all  the  peo- 
ple waved  their  palms  and  shouted,  "  Long  live  the 
king ! " 

Thus  the   procession  moved  on  up  to  the  throne. 
And  now  a  death-like  stillness  came  over  that  mighty 


TARA.  1 39 

host.  Jeremiah  had  joined  the  hands  of  the  prince 
and  princess  over  the  sacred  stone  and  the  ark  of  the 
covenant,  and  looking  up  toward  Heaven,  he  com- 
manded the  blessing  of  Israel's  God  to  rest  upon  the 
throne  of  David.  "  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  :  I  will 
overturn,  overturn,  overturn  it,  and  it  shall  be  no  more 
until  he  comes  whose  right  it  is,  and  I  will  give  it  to 
him." 

"  How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long!"  will  be  the  cry 
of  Judah  wandering  up  and  down  the  earth  without  a 
home,  while  nations  are  vicing  one  with  another  as  to 
which  can  be  the  most  cruel  and  unjust  toward  them,  re- 
straining their  liberty,  confiscating  their  property,  and 
banishing  them  from  one  country  to  another.  "  A 
race  without  a  leader,  a  people  without  a  king,  a  country 
without  a  government,  a  synagogue  without  a  Redeemer. 
Famine,  earthquake,  sword,  pestilence,  death.  But  the 
seed  of  Judah  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Israel  for- 
ever. God  hath  spoken,  for  from  the  loins  of  Judah 
shall  come  '  the  prince  of  the  house  of  David,'  who 
will  save  his  people.  The  people  that  should  be  the 
most  exalted,  crushed  under  the  feet  of  nations  and 
kingdoms,  until  Israel  opens  wide  her  gates  and  bids 
them  enter.  Here,  free  from  persecution,  they  will 
await  the  morning  of  their  redemption."  "  Give  us 
wisdom  to  fulfill  the  last  of  all  the  laws  and  the  pro- 
phets— that  of  hiding  away  from  sight  the  broken  col- 
umn of  Judah  and  the  chain  that  binds  Israel  to  the 


140  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

Branch."  "  Hasten  the  time  when  Ephraim  and  Manas- 
seh  shall  discover  the  people  that  wrought  miracles 
through  the  power  of  God,  living  miracles  for  the  truth 
of  all  the  laws  and  the  prophets." 

The  prayer  ceased,  and  now  there  went  up  a  mighty 
shout,  "  The  King  and  Queen  are  crowned ! "  and  as 
the  roar  died  away  the  last  words  of  the  prophet  were 
taken  up  by  the  multitude,  and  echoed  from  the  "  cen- 
tre all  round  to  the  sea."  "  What  God  hath  joined 
together,  let  no  man  put  asunder." 

Tara  at  this  time  was  full  of  ancient  castles,  which  had 
weathered  the  storms  and  sleets  of  the  country  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  but  the  pride  of  the  Celtic  chieftain  was 
Tara's  Hall.  "  Here  the  harp  had  rung  out  its  blessing 
since  the  days  of  David,  for  it  was  at  that  time  that  the 
first  harp  was  transported  to  Ireland  by  the  tribe  of 
Dan."  "Ancient  Tara  was  situated  in  the  county  of 
Meath,  which  at  that  time  was  in  the  province  of  Ul- 
ster, on  the  northeast  coast  of  Ireland.  Tara's  Hall 
was  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Boyne,  between  Dro- 
gheda  and  Slane."  It  was  nine  hundred  feet  square, 
and  admittance  was  through  twelve  wings,  twelve 
porches,  and  twelve  doors,  a  fitting  emblem  of  the 
sacred  sound  of  three  times  three.  The  banquet-hall 
contained  seats  for  twelve  hundred  guests.  Here  the 
musicians  played  the  harp  that  would  make  the  hall 
famous  when,  like  their  temple  at  Jerusalem,  it  had  be- 
come a  heap. 


TARA.  141 

When  the  ceremonies  were  all  ended  and  the  sound 
of  revelry  began,  the  prince  together  with  the  prophet 
and  Baruch  quietly  left  the  hall,  and  entering  a  narrow 
passageway  the  prince  touched  a  secret  spring ;  the 
massive  granite  rock  swung  round  on  its  pivot,  the 
three  men  entered,  and  the  door  was  shut.  The  sec- 
ond empire  was  founded. 

"  And  He  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations,  and 
shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  to- 
gether the  dispersed  of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of 
the  earth.  The  envy  also  of  Ephraim  shall  depart  and 
the  adversaries  of  Judah  shall  be  cut  off.  Ephraim 
shall  not  envy  Judah,  and  Judah  shall  not  vex  Ephraim." 
"  Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion,  for  a  foundation,  a  stone,  a 
tried  stone,  a  precious  corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation." 
"  Let  them  give  glory  unto  the  Lord  and  declare  His 
praise  in  the  islands."  "  And  all  thy  children  shall  be 
taught  of  the  Lord."  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day  that  the  Lord  shall  give  thee  rest  from  thy 
sorrow,  and  from  thy  fear,  and  from  thy  hard  bondage, 
wherein  thou  wast  made  to  serve.  Yet  the  number 
of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  be  as  the  sands  of  the  sea- 
shore, that  cannot  be  measured  nor  numbered  ;  and  it 
shall  come  to  pass  that  in  the  place  where  it  was  said 
ye  are  not  my  people,  there  it  shall  be  said  unto  them, 
ye  are  the  sons  of  the  Living  God." 

It  was  midnight ;  not  a  sound  broke  the  silence  save 
the  breathing  of  the  three  men  who  were  lowering  the 


142  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

ark  of  the  covenant  into  its  resting-place,  to  remain  con 
cealed  until  Judah  should  bow  before  the  Lord.  When 
the  last  rites  were  accomplished  and  the  grave  covered, 
the  prophet  spoke.  "  In  years  to  come  this  act  will  be 
commemorated  by  our  brotherhood  with  a  rap  of  three 
times  three.-  Millions  will  sound  that  alarm,  and  yet 
not  know  the  resting-place  of  the  ark  nor  yet  the  ori- 
gin of  that  sound.  In  due  time  the  Lord  our  right- 
eousness will  appear  and  found  His  kingdom  ;  and  so 
we,  in  a  glorious  expectation  of  that  event,  bury  Judah's 
hope.  We,  as  the  three  selected  to  bury  this  precious 
memento  of  the  loving-kindness  of  our  God,  consign  it 
to  the  earth  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  our  Redeemer, 
and  that  sacred  spirit  that  is  ever  with  us,  planting  this 
sprig  of  shamrock  over  it,  thereby  ever  holding  in  re- 
membrance the  sacred  symbol  of  three  times  three.  In 
years  to  come,  when  this  kingdom  shall  have  been  over- 
thrown and  given  to  another;  when  the  sacred  stone 
has  been  wrenched  from  them  and  put  upon  another 
throne  ;  when  their  spiritual  power  has  been  transferred 
to  the  city  of  the  seven  hills  ;  when  that  hierarchy  shall 
cause  to  flow  throughout  the  earth  oceans  of  blood, 
then  will  our  brotherhood  hear  a  voice  from  heaven 
saying,  '  Let  there  be  light,'  and  from  that  light  will 
spring  investigation,  and  from  investigation  education, 
and  from  education  revelation,  that  will  trample  the 
three  great  powers  of  darkness,  viz.  :  ignorance,  big- 
otry, and  superstition,  into  the  dust.  Then  will  that 


TARA.  143 

power  become  antagonistic  toward  Masonry.  But  their 
hour  will  have  come,  their  sun  will  have  set.  Millions 
will  investigate  the  light  of  Masonry,  and  sweep  the 
seven  hills  with  the  besom  of  destruction.  Investiga- 
tion against  ignorance,  education  against  superstition, 
revelation  against  bigotry,  light  against  darkness.  The 
foundation-stone  of  Masonry  is  brotherly  love,  and  in- 
vestigation will  reveal,  to  the  astonishment  of  nations, 
that  while  millions  have  gone  down  through  the  power 
of  that  tyrant  which  professed  to  be  founded  upon 
4  Peace  on  earth,  good-will  toward  men,'  not  one  single 
authenticated  death  will  ever  be  laid  at  our  door,  and 
yet  we  will  have  numbered  hundreds  of  millions,  thou- 
sands of  years  before  this  hierarchy  had  an  existence. 
Power  in  the  hands  of  a  temple  or  synagogue,  con- 
trolled by  superstitious  bigots,  is  a  dangerous  thing ; 
and  hence  our  order  to  bring  into  the  world  more  light, 
and  this  will  be  brought  to  pass  only  when  secondary 
powers  are  subject  to  national  laws,  when  liberty  of 
conscience  and  freedom  of  speech  have  secured  a 
firm  foundation.  This  can  only  come  through  educa- 
tion. May  the  blessing  of  Israel's  God  rest  upon  Ju- 
dah's  hope  until  the  blast  of  the  trumpet  shall  call  their 
scattered  remnant  back  to  Jerusalem  to  look  upon  Him 
whom  they  have  pierced.  '  Behold,  thou  art  called  a 
Jew  and  resteth  in  the  law.'  Now  we,  brethren,  as 
Isaac  was,  are  the  children  of  promise,  '  To  redeem 
them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive 


144  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

the  adoption  of  sons.'     These  are  the  two  covenants, 
the  one  from.  Mount   Sinai :    '  For  in  those  days  the 
house  of  Judah  shall  walk  with  the  house  of  Israel,  for 
I  have  made  a  convenant  with  my  chosen,  I  have  sworn 
unto  David  my  servant ;  thy  seed  will  I  establish  for- 
ever,   and   build    up   thy  throne   to   all    generations.' 
Selah.     '  Who  are  Israelites,  to  whom  pertaineth  the 
adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the  covenants,  and  the 
giving  of  the  law,  and  the   service  of   God,  and  the 
promises.'     '  For  they  are  not  all  Israel  which  are  of 
Israel.'     Let   us   pray.     '  Thou,  O  God,  knowest  our 
down-sittings   and    uprisings,   and   understandest   our 
thoughts  afar  off.     Shield  and  protect  us  from  the  evil 
intentions  of  our  enemies,  and  support  us  in  the  troubles 
and  trials  we  are  destined   to  endure  while  traveling 
through  this  vale  of  tears.    Man  that  is  born  of  woman  is 
of  few  days  and  full  of  trouble.     He  cometh  forth  like  a 
flower  and  is  cut  down  ;   he  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow 
and  continueth  not.     Seeing  his  days  are  determined, 
the  number  of  his  months  are  with  Thee  ;  Thou  hast 
appointed  a  bound  that  he  cannot  pass  ;  turn  from  him, 
O  God,  that  he  may  rest  till  he  shall  have  accomplished 
his  day.     For  there  is  hope  of  a  tree  if  it  be  cut  down 
that    it  shall    sprout    again,   and   the  tender  branches 
thereof  shall  not  cease ;    but  man  dieth  and  wasteth 
away  ;  yea,  man  dieth  and  giveth  up  the  ghost,  and 
where  is  he  ?     As  the  waters  fail  from  the  sea  and  the 
floods  decayeth  and  drieth  up,  so  man  lieth  down,  and 


TARA.  145 

riseth  not  again  till  the  heavens  be  no  more ;  he  shall 
not  awake  out  of  his  sleep.  Yet,  O  Lord,  have  com- 
passion upon  the  children  of  thy  creation,  and  save 
them  with  an  everlasting  salvation  !  '  '  So  mote  it 
be.'  Let  us  away,  the  night  grows  into  morning." 

Taking  a  southwesterly  course,  a  two  hours'  journey 
brought  them  directly  to  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
hall.  They  had  described  a  perfect  triangle,  with  the 
ark  resting  at  the  northeast  corner. 

"  Is  this  thy  funeral  pyre,  thy  lonely  grave, 

Oh,  ancient  Tara,  city  once  so  fair  ? 
Where  are  thy  halls  and  palaces  so  brave, 

Thy  sons  and  daughters,  strong  and  beauteous,  where  ? 
Great  wast  thou  in  olden  time — a  sacred  place. 

Here  reigned  wise  kings  in  great  Jehovah's  name  ; 
Here  shone  an  aged  prophet's  honored  face  ; 

Here  to  be  taught  the  rude  barbarians  came  ; 
Here  rests  the  ark  of  God, 

The  holiest  thing  within  thy  spreading  bounds  ; 
But  thou  hast  perished, 

Thy  sacred  relics  lie  unsought,  unfound  ; 
And  midst  the  buried  arches,  pillars  prone, 
And  fragments  huge,  of  hewn  and  carven  stone, 
I  search,  and  lo  !  in  a  dim  nook  behold 
The  Ark  of  shittim  wood,  o'erlaid  with  gold, 

And  shadowed  by  the  wings  of  cherubims." 

.     Author  unknown. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

DEATH  OF  JEREMIAH  AND  BARUCH. 

"  As  age  creeps  on  the  time  flies  fast, 
Days,  months,  and  years  glide  by, 
And  each  seem  shorter  than  the  last, 
And  swifter  seems  to  fly." 

TEN  years  had  passed,  and  Jeremiah  was  now  old 
and  well  stricken  in  years.  The  sceptre  of  Judah  had 
not  departed,  nor  had  his  prophecies  come  to  naught. 
Baruch  had  seen  in  a  vision  his  beloved  son  Zacharias 
slain  in  the  temple  by  the  Idumeans,  and  he  was  now 
prepared  to  return  to  Egypt.  The  prophecies  concern- 
ing Baruch  must  soon  be  fulfilled,  and  Jeremiah  also 
must  in  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy  return  to  the  birth- 
place of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  for  God  had  declared 
that  he  would  punish  them  in  that  place.  Bethshe- 
mesh,  the  home  of  Joseph  and  Asenath,  the  university 
of  all  arts  and  sciences,  the  birthplace  of  all  sacred  liter- 
ature, the  college  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  the  temple 
erected  to  celebrate  victory  over  death,  the  misfortunes 
and  triumphs  of  Joseph,  the  trials  and  prophecies  of 
Moses,  and  the  final  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  Israel, 
all  rose  up  before  Jeremiah,  beckoning  his  body  onward 
to  the  tomb  and  his  spirit  upward  to  the  throne  of 

God. 

(146) 


DEATH   OF  JEREMIAH   AND   BARUCH.  147 

The  young  prince  and  princess  which  had  been  born 
unto  Eochaid  were  now  Jeremiah's  sole  companions. 
From  him  they  had  learned  the  true  path  of  wisdom,  in 
that  they  worshiped  the  God  of  the  Hebrews.  The  part- 
ing from  these  cherubs  was  like  unto  death,  but  as  Nebo 
was  to  Moses,  as  the  Jordan  was  to  Elijah,  as  the 
temple  was  to  Samson,  so  in  like  manner  Bethshemesh 
was  unto  him.  There  he  would  lie  down  and  rise  not 
again  until  the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  The 
beautiful  monument  would  stand  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Nile  until  salvation  was  proclaimed  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  earth.  The  throne  of 
Judah  was  established  over  Israel  for  ever,  and  Israel 
would  sing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb  until  time 
should  be  no  longer. 

Nebuchadnezzar  had  despoiled  Egypt  and  slain  Ish- 
mael,  as  Jeremiah  had  prophesied,  and  was  now  the 
virtual  ruler.  An  edict  signed  by  him  was  in  the  pos- 
session of  both  Jeremiah  and  Baruch,  bidding  them  go 
withersoever  they  willed. 

The  parting  between  prince  and  prophet  was  like  a 
two-edged  sword,  but  each  knew  that  not  one  jot  or 
tittle  of  the  prophecies  should  fail.  They  must  both  re- 
turn to  that  land  where  it  had  been  said  unto  them, 
"  Enter  not  lest  ye  die"  Now  the  hour  had  come  when 
they  must  obey  the  edict  of  a  higher  king  than  Neb- 
chadnezzar.  Raising  his  hands,  Jeremiah  commanded 
the  blessing  of  God  to  rest  upon  the  new  covenant.  • 


148  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

"  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will 
make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel  and  with 
the  house  of  Judah. 

"  Not  according  to  the  covenant  made  with  their 
fathers  in  the  day  that  I  took  them  by  the  hand,  to 
bring  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  which  my  cove- 
nant they  break,  although  I  was  a  husband  unto  them, 
saith  the  Lord. 

"  But  this  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make 
with  the  house  of  Israel :  After  those  days,  saith  the 
Lord,  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write 
it  in  their  hearts,  and  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall 
be  my  people. 

"  And  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  neigh- 
bor, and  every  man  his  brother,  saying:  Know  the 
Lord,  for  they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of 
them  unto  the  greatest  of  them,  saith  the  Lord ;  for  I 
will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and  I  will  remember  their 
sins  no  more. 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  which  giveth  the  sun  for  a 
light  by  day,  and  the  ordinances  of  the  moon  and  of 
the  stars  for  a  light  by  night,  which  divideth  the  sea 
when  the  waves  thereof  roar;  the'Lord  of  Hosts  is  His 
name. 

"  If  those  ordinances  depart  from  before  me,  saith  the 
Lord;  then  the  seed  of  Israel  also  shall  cease  from 
being  a  nation  before  me  forever." 

Thus  spake  Jeremiah,  as  he  and  Baruch  went  forth 


DEATH   OF  JEREMIAH   AND   BARUCH.  149 

from  Ireland  into  Egypt  to  meet  their  God.  As  they 
passed  up  the  river  Nile,  the  thoughts  of  Jeremiah  wan- 
dered back  to  the  days  of  Joseph  when  he  controlled 
the  granaries  of  Egypt.  Now  he  sees  in  the  future 
seed  of  Joseph — Manasseh — the  great  people  controll- 
ing the  granaries  of  the  world. 

He  sees  Moses,  at  the  head  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
led  by  the  hand  of  God  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  then  he 
sees  the  covenant  broken  in  pieces.  Moses  is  not  per- 
mitted to  enter  into  the  promised  land,  while  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  have  again  become  captives  in  the  land 
of  the  Assyrians. 

Again  he  sees  the  second  covenant  entered  into  be- 
tween the  Almighty  and  the  children  of  Israel,  which 
is  as  enduring  as  the  everlasting  hills.  Their  throne 
established  until  the  sea  gives  up  its  dead.  Now  his 
eyes  wander  over  the  great  Necropolis,  among  the 
tombs  wherein  were  the  bodies  of  the  Pharaohs  who 
persecuted  his  people. 

Again  he  sees  Azariah  and  Johanan  lead  that  mighty 
host  of  Jews  into  Egypt,  in  direct  defiance  to  the  com- 
mand of  God,  and  then  he  sees  them  fall,  one  after  an- 
other, by  the  sword  and  by  the  pestilence  and  by  the 
famine,  until  not  one  soul  is  left  save  Baruch  and  him. 
self.  Rehears  the  doom  pronounced  by  God  Himself: 
"  1 will  punish  you  in  this  place" 

Then  he  fell  on  his  face  and  wept  over  Judah. 

In  the  green  fields  of  the  Delta,  on  the  banks  of  the 


150  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

river  Nile,  near  ancient  Memphis  and  Cairo,  stands 
to-day  a  beautiful  red  granite  obelisk  that  has  with- 
stood the  storms  of  nearly  fifty  centuries.  This  is  the 
Bethshemesh  of  sacred  scriptures.  Here  was  born 
Asenath,  the  daughter  of  Potipherah,  the  priest  of  On, 
who  became  the  mother  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh. 
Here,  beneath  the  shadow  of  this  beautiful  rosy  monu- 
ment, rest  the  -bodies  of  Jeremiah  the  prophet  and 
Baruch  the  blessed.  Here  they  await  the  grand  hailing 
sign  of  the  Supreme  Architect  of  the  Universe.  This 
monument  has  stood  from  the  earliest  infancy  of  Noah's 
race  up  to  the  present  hour,  and  will  continue  on  until 
"  They  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  neighbor, 
and  every  man  his  brother,  saying:  Know  the  Lord, 
for  they  shall  all  know  Him,  from  the  least  of  them  unto 
the  greatest  of  them,  saith  the  Lord." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CYRUS. 

KING  ASTYAGES  sat  on  his  throne  in  a  profound  and 
sorrowful  meditation.  Already  a  jealousy  had  sprung 
up  and  taken  root  in  his  heart  against  his  only  daugh- 
ter, the  princess  Mandane,  for  he  had  dreamed  that  she 
would  bear  a  son  who  would  overthrow  the  Median 
kingdom,  and  that  his  dominion  would  extend  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  How  was  he  to  frustrate 
this  grand  design,  which  had  been  foretold  by  the 
prophet  Isaiah  more  than  two  hundred  years  before, 
was  the  question  that  perplexed  and  annoyed  him. 
He  had  very  little  faith  in  the  powers  of  the  Persians, 
as  they  were  from  the  loins  of  $hem.  Media  was  on  a 
direct  line  from  Japhet,  and  hence  he  considered  her 
proof  against  Persian  invasion.  Why  not  marry  her  to 
a  Persian  prince,  and  thus  prevent  the  possibility  of 
greatness  in  the  sons  born  unto  them.  Yes ;  he  would 
marry  her  to  a  Persian  prince,  and  bring  to  naught  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah.  Accordingly  Cambyses  was  in- 
troduced into  the  king's  palace,  and  an  alliance  was  en- 
tered into  between  the  prince  and  princess.  Thus  he 
had  unwittingly  fulfilled  the  first  part  of  the  prophecy, 

(151) 


152  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

that  of  joining  the  two  kingdoms  for  the  utter  annihil- 
ation of  the  Median  throne.  When  the  princess  gave 
birth  to  a  son,  the  king  was  thrown  into  the  greatest 
state  of  excitement  and  alarm.  The  child  must  die, 
even  if  he  had  to  issue  an  edict  like  that  unto  the  king 
of  Egypt,  and  he  would  see  to  it  that  there  was  no  bul- 
rush business,  as  in  the  case  of  Moses. 

In  this  state  of  mind,  he  sent  for  his  trusted  servant 
Harpagus,  and  ordered  him  to  put  the  child  to  death. 
Now  it  so  happened  that  the  wife  of  Harpagus  had 
given  birth  to  a  son  on  that  same  day,  and  the  heart 
of  the  servant  was  touched  with  compassion  for  the 
princess.  His  whole  soul  revolted  at  the  dastardly 
act.  Was  not  the  king  growing  old  ?  Why,  then, 
above  all  others,  should  he  seek  to  destroy  the  heir 
apparent  to  the  throne?  And  yet,  he  must  obey  the 
mandate  of  the  king.  Accordingly,  he  gave  the  child, 
dressed  in  royal  robes,  to  a  herdsman,  who  lived  in  the 
mountains,  and  desired  him  to  expose  it  to  the  ex- 
treme cold,  and  then  return  it  for  a  royal  funeral.  It 
is  here  we  can  see  that  no  earthly  power  can  frustrate 
the  will  of  Heaven.  Every  prophecy  that  was  fore- 
told by  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  was  as  sure  to  come  to 
pass  as  the  rising  and  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

During  the  absence  of  the  herdsman,  his  own  little 
son  had  been  called  hence,  and  when  he  arrived  home 
his  house  was  in  mourning.  Instead  of  digging  a  little 
grave,  he  dressed  his  son  in  the  royal  robes  taken  from 


CYRUS.  153 

Cyrus,  and  returned  to  the  palace,  where  the  herdsman 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  son  entombed  in  the 
sepulchres  of  the  kings.  So  Cyrus  grew  up,  educated 
to  the  hardy  life  of  a  mountaineer.  The  herdsman 
had  educated  him  in  the  art  of  swordsmanship,  so  that 
there  were  none  like  him  in  all  the  country.  He  was 
famed  for  his  extraordinary  beauty  and  muscular  de- 
velopment. In  disposition  he  was  mild  and  gentle, 
which  drew  around  him  a  host  of  friends.  At  length, 
being  appointed  king  in  one  of  their  boyish  games,  he 
thoroughly  scourged  the  son  of  a  nobleman,  and  for 
this  act  was  summoned  before  King  Astyages,  and  was 
immediately  recognized  as  the  son  of  Mandane.  The 
king's  rage  knew  no  bounds.  He  immediately  trans- 
ported Cyrus  to  Persia,  and  slew  the  son  of  Harpagus. 
In  this  he  made  a  grand  mistake,  for  as  soon  as  Cyrus 
had  collected  an  army  of  Persians  around  him,  a  large 
number  of  Medes  deserted  their  post  and  went  over  to 
him,  on  account  of  the  tyranny  of  Astyages.  Harpa- 
gus now  awaited  his  opportunity,  and  as  the  army  of 
Cyrus  advanced  he  threw  open  the  gates  of  the  city, 
and  Media  was  overthrown  559  B.C. 

His  next  step  was  to  bring  the  rich  Crcesus,  king  of 
the  Lydians,  under  subjection.  He  knew  that  Crcesus 
was  learned  in  all  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  having  col- 
lected around  him  the  wit  of  both  Europe  and  Asia. 
His  life,  however,  was  given  up  to  sumptuous  extrava- 
gance, and  he  considered  himself  the  happiest  man  in 


154  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

the  world.  Proud  of  his  wealth,  he  arrayed  himself  in 
gorgeous  clothes,  studded  with  diamonds,  and  seating 
himself  on  the  throne  gave  audience  to  the  wise  men 
of  that  age.  Among  them  was  the  learned  Solon,  one 
of  the  seven  wise  men  of  Greece,  of  whom  he  com- 
manded to  know  who  was  the  happiest  man  on  earth, 
believing  that  Solon  would  say,  Crcesus.  Solon's 
reply  was :  "  A  citizen  of  Athens,  who  died  gloriously 
fighting  for  his  country."  "  And  who  next  ?  "  "  Cleo- 
bis  and  Biton.  Their  mother  prayed  for  the  best  gift 
Heaven  could  afford  them.  Her  prayer  was  imme- 
diately answered,  for  they  both  fell  asleep,  and  died  in 
a  soft  and  peaceful  slumber." 

"You  do  not  count  me  in  the  number?"  said  Crce- 
sus. "  No.  Man's  victory  is  not  complete  until  he 
gains  the  crown.  No  king  can  be  happy  during  the 
battle ;  happiness  comes  through  victory.  Hence,  the 
happiest  man  is  he  who  has  passed  through  the  dis- 
appointments and  sorrows  of  life,  laid  down  his  armor, 
forded  the  river,  and  gained  the  crown.  Moses'  great- 
est victory  was  on  Mount  Nebo.  Samson's  in  the 
temple.  Elijah's  at  the  Jordan." 

Crcesus  was  wroth  at  the  answers.  ^Esop,  the 
hunchback,  author  of  the  fables,  was  at  the  court  on 
this  occasion,  and  said :  "  Solon,  you  must  either  not 
come  near  kings,  or  else  speak  that  which  is  agree- 
able." To  which  Solon  replied  :  "  Say,  rather,  that  we 
should. never  come  near  them,  unless  we  speak  for 


r% 


CYRUS.  157 

their  good."  The  death  of  Atys,  his  beautiful  son, 
brought  Croesus  to  a  realizing  sense  that  happiness  is 
not  contained  in  riches,  and  it  was  in  this  condition 
that  the  hosts  of  Cyrus  found  him,  and  subdued  his 
kingdom,  546  B.C.  When  Croesus  was  condemned  to 
death  by  Cyrus,  and  cast  on  to  the  pyre,  he  cried  out : 
"  Solon  !  Solon  !  Solon !  "  Cyrus  hearing  him  cry  for 
Solon  asked  the  cause,  and  on  being  informed  imme- 
diately released  him,  and  with  his  knowledge  of  sci- 
ence and  skillful  engineering,  coupled  with  Cyrus, 
under  the  power  of  God,  Babylon  fell  538  B.C.  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord  to  His  anointed,  to  Cyrus :  I  will  break 
in  pieces  the  gates  of  brass,  and  cut  in  sunder  the  bars 
of  iron,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  treasures  of  darkness, 
and  hidden  riches  of  secret  places,  that  thou  mayest 
know,  that  I,  the  Lord,  which  call  thee  by  name,  art 
the  God  of  Israel.  For  Jacob,  my  servant's  sake,  and 
Israel  mine  elect,  I  have  even  called  thee  by  name.  I 
have  surnamed  thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known  me." 
Every  man  that  God  called  to  a  place  of  trust  and 
power  was  from  the  loins  of  Shem.  Every  kingdom 
founded  by  the  sons  of  Ham  and  Japhet  will  in  due 
time  be  overthrown,  and  the  whole  world  will  become 
"  The  little  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without 
hands,"  viz.,  Israel.  It  is  a  marvelous  thing  that  the 
snare  laid  for  the  destruction  of  Babylon  was  laid  by 
God  himself.  "  I  have  laid  a  snare  for  thee,  who  drieth 
up  the  waters  of  the  river,  who  bringeth  darkness  on 


158  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

her  princes.  In  their  heat  I  will  make  their  feasts,  and 
I  will  make  them  drunken,  that  they  may  rejoice,  and 
sleep  a  perpetual  sleep,  and  not  awake,  saith  the 
Lord."  "  I  will  cut  off  from  Babylon  the  name.  I 
will  make  it  a  possession  for  the  bittern,  and  pools  of 
water.  I  will  sweep  it  with  the  besom  of  destruction, 
saith  the  Lord."  "  I  myself,  saith  the  Lord,  will  ex- 
amine with  a  jealous  eye,  to  see  if  there  be  any  re- 
mains of  that  city,  which  was  an  enemy  to  my  name, 
and  to  Jerusalem."  The  walls  fell  down.  The  Eu- 
phrates, no  longer  finding  a  free  channel,  changed  its 
course ;  it  became  a  lair  for  wild  beasts,  and  filled  up 
with  serpents  and  scorpions,  until  the  site  of  the  city 
was  lost  forever  and  the  prophecies  were  fulfilled.  It 
is  said  of  Cyrus  that  during  his  entire  life  he  was  never 
known  to  utter  an  angry  word.  During  his  reign  of 
thirty  years  justice  was  universally  tempered  with 
mercy,  and  he  admitted  that  had  he  allowed  Crcesus 
to  have  been  burned  on  the  pyre,  it  would  have 
blasted  the  happiness  of  his  entire  life.  The  contrast 
between  the  wars  waged  by  Cyrus  and  those  of  other 
kings,  both  sacred  and  profane,  prove  conclusively  that 
he  was  ordained  by  God,  not  only  to  liberate  the  cap- 
tive Jews,  but  to  subdue  Asia,  and  this  must  be 
brought  to  pass  by  a  humane  conqueror.  "  Thus  his 
dominions  were  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Caspian 
and  Euxine  Seas,  on  the  south  by  Ethiopia  and  the 
Arabian  Sea,  on  the  east  by  the  Indus  River,  and  on 


CYRUS.  159 

the  west  by  the  ^Egean  Sea.  In  the  midst  of  this  vast 
empire  he  resided.  Seven  months  in  Babylon,  or  dur- 
ing the  winter  season;  two  months  in  Ecbatana,  during 
the  extreme  heat  of  summer;  and  three  months  at 
Shushan,  in  Persia,  in  the  fall,  where  he'  died."  Before 
closing  this  chapter,  it  is  well  to  give  the  closing 
scenes  of  his  life,  as  recorded  by  Herodotus,  which  is 
accepted  by  some  historians  and  repudiated  by  others. 
"  Having  a  wish  that  his  power  should  become  abso- 
lute, and  overshadow  all  Asia,  in  fulfillment  of  Astya- 
ges'  dream,  he  began  an  unjust  war  upon  the  Scythi- 
ans, who  dwelt  on  the  northeast  shore  of  the  Caspian, 
and  after  a  fierce  engagement  he  retreated,  leaving  a 
large  quantity  of  liquors  on  the  field.  The  Scythians 
seized  the  spoils,  and  when  Cyrus  returned  they  had 
drunken  themselves  into  a  profound  stupor,  which 
gave  Cyrus  an  easy  victory.  When  the  son  of  Queen 
Tomrys  awoke,  and  found  himself  a  prisoner  among 
the  Persians,  he  immediately  put  himself  to  death. 
His  mother  hearing  of  this  sought  revenge,  and  began 
a  second  battle  with  Cyrus.  She  with  her  army  re- 
treated, as  Cyrus  had  done,  drawing  them  into  am- 
bush, and  killing  two  hundred  thousand,  together  with 
Cyrus.  She  then  ordered  the  head  of  Cyrus  to  be  sev- 
ered from  his  dead  body  and  thrown  into  a  vat  of 
blood,  exclaiming  at  the  same  time:  '  Now  glut  thyself 
with  blood,  in  which  tJiou  hast  always  delighted,  and  of 
whicJi  thy  thirst  has  always  been  insatiable?  ' 


160  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

This  history  is  not  borne  out  by  the  facts  recorded 
in  the  life  of  Cyrus.  That  he  was  mild,  gentle,  and 
kind  in  his  disposition,  all  historians  agree,  and  that  he 
died  in  his  palace,  surrounded  by  the  royal  household, 
together  with  Daniel,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe. 
Rollin  says :  "  But  what  decides  the  point  unanswer- 
ably in  favor  of  Xenophon  is  the  conformity  we  find 
between  his  narrative  and  the  Holy  Scriptures,  where 
we  see,  that  instead  of  Cyrus  having  raised  the  Persian 
empire  upon  the  ruins  of  the  Medes,  as  Herodotus  re- 
lates, those  two  nations  attacked  Babylon  together. 
Herodotus'  story  has  more  the  air  of  a  romance  than 
of  a  history."  Chambers  says :  "  The  ....  work  of 
Xenophon  is  not  a  history ;  it  is  a  historical  romance, 
and  was  manifestly  intended  by  the  author  for  such. 
Xenophon  wished  to  picture  a  great  and  wise  king, 
and  finding  the  elements  both  of  greatness  and  wis- 
dom in  Cyrus,  he  took  advantage  of  his  historic  per- 
sonality, and  engrafted  upon  it  whatever,  according  to 
his  own  notion,  would  ennoble  and  dignify  it."  The 
reader  will  now  comprehend  at  a  glance  just  how 
many  difficulties  there  are  attached  to  a  true  record  of 
the  life  of  this  extraordinary  king  and  conqueror,  and 
can  accept  whichever  accords  nearest  to  their  ideas  of 
the  truth  of  either  writer.  (See  Chapter  XVI.  of  this 
book,  entitled  "  Daniel.") 

Darius,  according  to  Josephus,  was  a  son  of  Astya- 
ges,  and  consequently  the  brother  of  Mandane,  the 


CYRUS.  l6l 

mother  of  Cyrus.  Astyages,  in  the  IXth  Chapter  of 
Daniel,  is  called  Ahasuerus.  It  is  therefore  probable 
that  the  moment  Cyrus  subdued  the  Median  kingdom 
he  gave  the  sceptre  to  one  of  his  uncles,  as  Darius  is 
titular,  and  not  personal,  for  like  the  word  Pharaoh,  it 
was  the  name  of  a  number  of  kings,  both  of  Persian 
and  Median  origin.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
Ahasuerus,  the  husband  of  Esther,  who  is  called  in 
profane  history  Xerxes,  was  a  Persian  monarch,  and 
related  in  no  way  to  Darius  the  Mede,  the  son  of  Aha- 
suerus. Astyages  and  Ahasuerus  are  frequently  made 
one  by  commentators,  as  is  Zorobabel  and  Zerub- 
babel.  It  will  be  seen  that  as  soon  as  Cyrus  subdued 
nations  and  kingdoms  he  restored  to  a  large  extent, 
and  thus  he  has  been  called  "  generous  to  a  fault." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

BELSHAZZAR. 

IN  reading  the  book  of  Daniel,  it  would  almost 
appear  that  the  moment  Nebuchadnezzar  died,  Bel- 
shazzar  ascended  the  throne,  and  yet  the  facts  of  the 
case  are,  that  at  the  death  of  Nebuchadnezzar  Bel- 
shazzar  was  not  born.  This  king  began  to  reign  when 
he  was  five  years  old,  with  his  mother  as  regent ;  con- 
sequently, at  the  time  that  the  handwriting  appeared 
upon  the  wall  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  Not- 
withstanding the  many  prophecies  that  had  been 
spoken  in  relation  to  the  taking  of  Babylon,  the  entire 
population  considered  the  city  impregnable,  from  any 
point,  as  the  river  Euphrates  ran  directly  through  the 
city,  and  there  were  provisions  stored  away  for  twenty 
years.  Hence,  when  they  were  encompassed  by  the 
Persian  army,  they,  from  the  walls  of  the  city,  laughed 
them  to  scorn;  and  yet  the  prophecy,  "A  drought  is 
upon  the  waters,  and  they  shall  be  dried  up,"  made  no 
impression  upon  them.  The  very  river  that  they  re- 
lied upon  was  the  cause  of  their  destruction.  When 
the  city  had  been  surrounded  by  troops,  they  began  to 
throw  up  earthworks,  as  in  the  case  of  all  encompassed 
(162) 


BELSHAZZAR.  163 

cities,  so  that  no  thought  was  taken  of  this  act,  as  the 
supposition  was  that  Cyrus  knew  nothing  of  the  large 
amount  of  provisions  in  store,  and  that  he  intended  to 
keep  them  confined  until  famine  drove  them  to  an 
unconditional  surrender.  Deep  ditches  were  dug  for 
miles  both  above  and  below  the  city,  so  that  it  was 
only  the  work  of  a  few  hours  to  connect  them  with 
the  river,  and  thus  drain  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  chan- 
nel. There  was,  however,  one  thing  that  stood  in  the 
way  of  victory,  and  that  was  the  great  brazen  gates, 
that  closed  down  over  the  river  every  night  at  sunset. 
If  these  were  closed,  then  there  would  be  no  need  of 
turning  the  river.  Undismayed,  however,  Cyrus  con- 
tinued his  work  of  digging  the  trenches,  as  if  by  inspi- 
ration. Whether  Cyrus  at  that  time  knew  of  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  is  not  known,  but 
this  we  do  know,  that  there  was  no  escape  from  the 
fulfillment  of  the  words  of  the  prophets:  "  Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass 
away,"  has  been  true  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
When  the  ditches  were  finished,  ready  to  receive  the 
waters  of  the  river,  Cyrus  had  a  dream  that  an  invis- 
ible guide  would  go  before  him  and  open  the  brazen 
gates  that  shut  down  from  the  quays  to  the  river. 
The  night  was  at  hand.  A  grand  festival  was  to  be 
celebrated  in  the  city,  and  all  of  the  lords  and  ladies, 
were  to  be  present  in  the  palace,  and,  as  on  former 
occasions,  Cyrus  knew  that  the  night  would  be  given 


164  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

over  to  drinking  and  excesses.  The  time  had  come  to 
act.  Dividing  his  army  into  two  companies,  the  one 
under  Gobrys,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  city,  and  the 
other  under  Gadatas,  at  the  upper  end,  he  commanded 
them  to  advance.  In  the  meantime  the  ditches  had 
been  opened,  and  in  one  hour  that  part  of  the  river 
flowing  through  Babylon  was  dry.  The  invisible  guide, 
that  promised  to  go  before  Cyrus  and  open  the  gates, 
made  the  keepers  subservient  to  his  command,  for 
through  the  general  disorder  of  preparing  for  the 
evening's  festivities  both  gates  had  been  left  open. 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  to  His  anointed,  to  Cyrus, 
whose  right  hand  I  have  holden,  to  subdue  nations 
before  him,  and  I  will  loose  the  loins  of  kings,  to  open 
before  him  the  two  leaved  gates,  and  the  gates  shall 
not  be  shut."  "  Behold  I  will  punish  the  king  of 
Babylon  in  his  land,  as  I  have  punished  the  king  of 
Assyria." 

Within  the  city  walls  all  was  confusion.  The  king's 
palace  was  thronged  from  centre  to  circumference. 
Thousands  were  coming  in  chariots  from  every  quarter 
of  the  city,  as  this  was  to  be  the  grandest  festival  of 
the  season.  The  banquet  hall  was  thronged  with 
thousands  of  the  king's  lords  and  ladies ;  music  sound- 
ed from  every  quarter  of  the  palace,  while  wine  flowed 
Ifke  a  river.  The  revelry  had  now  fairly  begun.  Bel- 
shazzar  arose  from  his  throne,  and  commanded  that 
the  gold  and  silver  vessels  that  Nebuchadnezzar  had 


BELSHAZZAR.  165 

pillaged  from  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  be  brought 
forth  and  filled  to  the  brim.  Then  raising  a  golden 
goblet  on  high,  he  gave  a  toast  to  the  gods  of  gold 
and  silver.  Look !  the  king  turns  pale,  his  countenance 
changes,  the  joints  of  his  loins  are  loose,  his  knees 
smite  one  against  another.  All  eyes  are  now  riveted 
upon  the  wall  over  against  the  candlesticks.  He  sees 
the  fingers  of  a  man's  hand  slowly  but  surely  advanc- 
ing. Now  he  sees  a  part  of  the  hand,  and  while  he 
looks  the  fingers  begin  to  write.  Breathless  with  ex- 
citement, paralyzed  with  fear,  sweating  from  every 
pore,  yea,  gradually  dying,  he  watches,  until  the  fatal 
words  are  written  and  the  hand  vanishes  from  sight. 
Then  he  cries  aloud.  The  astrologers,  the  Chaldeans,  the 
sooth-sayers,  quick,  give  me  the  interpretation  of  these 
words,  and  I  will  make  you  the  third  ruler  of  the  king- 
dom. But,  alas !  they  were  too  weak.  That  was  the 
hand  of  God,  and  inspiration  alone,  through  the  mind 
of  Daniel,  must  fathom  it.  "Then  came  all  of  the 
king's  wise  men,  but  they  could  not  read  it." 

At  this  moment  the  queen  came  into  the  banquet 
hall  and,  seeing  the  king  in  trouble,  said :  "  Let  not 
thy  countenance  be  changed,  for  there  is  a  man  in  thy 
kingdom  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  the  holy  gods.  He 
was  made  master  of  the  astrologers,  in  showing  hard 
sentences  and  disclosing  of  doubts.  Let  him  come, 
and  he  will  read  the  handwriting  on  the  wall."  Then 
was  Daniel  brought  in  before  the  king,  to  make  known 


1 66  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

the  writing,  and  was  promised  to  be  clothed  with  scar- 
let, an  emblem  of  royalty,  and  have  a  chain  of  gold 
around  his  neck,  an  emblem  of  power,  and  to  be  the 
third  ruler  in  the  kingdom.  Then  Daniel  looked  up 
and  commenced  to  read.  Slowly  and  distinctly  he 
pronounced  each  word.  "  Mene,  Mene,  Tekel,  Up- 
harsin."  God  hath  numbered  thy  kingdom,  and  fin- 
ished it.  "  Thou  art  weighed  in  the  balances,  and 
found  wanting."  "  Thy  kingdom  is  divided,  and  given 
to  the  Medes  and  Persians." 

Notwithstanding  that  his  doom  was  sealed,  his  king- 
dom was  ended,  his  hour  was  at  hand,  nevertheless  his 
word  had  been  given,  and  in  the  short  hour  that  re- 
mained to  him  on  earth  he  commanded,  and  Daniel 
was  clothed  with  scarlet,  a  chain  of  gold  was  placed 
around  his  neck,  and  a  proclamation  was  issued,  the 
last  act,  and  the  most  honorable  act,  of  the  life  of  Bel- 
shazzar,  proclaiming  him  the  third  ruler  in  the  king- 
dom. Hark!  what  means  that  disturbance  in  the  outer 
court  ?  The  door  is  thrown  open,  and  Belshazzar 
stands  in  the  presence  of  Cyrus.  "  In  that  night  was 
Belshazzar,  the  king  of  the  Chaldeans,  slain."  "  And 
Babylon  shall  become  heaps ;  a  dwelling-place  for 
dragons."  "  I  will  dry  up  her  seas,  and  make  her 
springs  dry."  "  I  will  bring  them  down  like  lambs  to 
the  slaughter."  "  Then  the  heaven,  and  the  earth,  and 
all  that  is  therein,  shall  sing  for  Babylon,  for  the  spoil- 
ers shall  come  unto  her  from  the  north,  saith  the 


BELSHAZZAR.  1 67 

Lord."  So  Jeremiah  wrote  in  a  book  all  the  evil  that 
should  come  upon  Babylon,  even  all  the  words  that 
are  written  against  Babylon.  "  And  Jeremiah  said  to 
Seriah,  when  thou  comest  to  Babylon,  and  shall  see, 
and  shall  read  all  of  these  words,  then  shalt  thou  say, 
O  Lord,  Thou  hast  spoken  against  this  place,  to  cut  it 
off,  that  none  shall  remain  in  it,  neither  man,  nor  beast, 
but  that  it  shall  remain  desolate  forever."  "And  it 
shall  be,  that  when  thou  hast  made  an  end  of  reading 
this  book,  that  thou  shalt  bind  a  stone  to  it  and  cast 
it  into  the  midst  of  the  Euphrates,  and  thou  shalt 
say :  Thus  shalt  Babylon  sink,  and  shall  not  rise  from 
the  evils  that  I  will  bring  upon  her,  and  they  shall  be 
many."  "  Thus  far  are  the  words  of  Jeremiah."  The 
prophecies  were  fulfilled,  and  Babylon,  that  mighty 
city,  was  lost  forever."  "  Her  cities  are  a  desolation,  a 
dry  land,  and  a  wilderness,  a  land  wherein  no  man 
dwelleth,  neither  doth  any  son  of  man  pass  thereby." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DANIEL. 

IN  dealing  with  historical  events,  we  have  to  take 
into  account  the  length  of  time  that  has  elapsed,  and 
the  difference  of  dates  existing  between  various  writ- 
ers. In  the  succession  of  kings,  from  Nebuchadnezzar 
to  Belshazzar,  Josephus  says:  "When  Evil  Merodach 
was  dead,  after  a  reign  of  eighteen  years,  Neglissar,  his 
son,  took  command,  and  retained  it  for  forty  years. 
Then  came  Labosordacus,  who  reigned  nine  months, 
after  which  Baltsar,  under  which  Babylon  was  taken, 
seventeen  years.-"  Rollins  differs  in  names,  relation, 
and  time,  for  says  that  writer :  "  The  reign  of  Evil 
Merodach,  which  lasted  only  two  years,  was  succeeded 
by  Neglissor,  his  sister's  husband,  who  was  slain  in 
battle  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  reign,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Laborosarchoid,  who  reigned  nine 
months,  and  was  put  to  death.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Belshazzar,  who  reigned  nineteen  years."  According 
to  the  best  authenticated  computation,  we  find  that 
Nebuchadnezzar  took  Jerusalem  the  first  time  in  the 
third  year  of  the  reign  of  Jehoakim,  king  of  Judah. 
(168) 


DANIEL.  169 

Among  the  captives  were  the  three  Hebrew  worthies, 
together  with  Daniel,  who  was  twelve  years  old. 
From  this  time  is  reckoned  the  time  of  the  beginning 
of  the  seventy  years'  captivity,  which  was  the  first 
year  of  the  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  which  lasted 
forty-three  years.  At  his  death,  Evil  Merodach,  his 
son,  was  crowned.  His  reign  was  one  round  of  de- 
bauchery, insomuch  that  his  father's  family  conspired 
against  him,  and  slew  him  two  years  after  his  ascension 
to  the  throne. 

At  his  death,  Neglissor,  his  brother-in-law,  who  was 
the  chief  conspirator,  took  the  crown  and  immediately 
made  war  with  Darius  the  Mede.  Darius  sent  for  his 
nephew,  king  Cyrus,  and  Neglissor  was  slain,  after  a 
reign  of  three  years  and  three  months.  Laborosarch- 
oid,  his  son,  then  took  the  crown,  but  his  infamous  and 
barbarous  actions  incited  the  people  to  rebellion,  and 
he  was  put  to  death  after  a  reign  of  nine  months.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Belshazzar,  who  reigned  nineteen 
years.  Belshazzar  was  a  son  of  Evil  Merodach,  and  a 
grandson  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 

After  Belshazzar,  Darius  reigned  two  years.  Thus 
Nebuchadnezzar  began  to  reign  606  years  B.C.;  Baby- 
lon fell  538  years  B.C.,  and  Cyrus  began  to  reign,  after 
the  death  of  Darius,  536  years  B.C.,  which  exactly  com- 
pleted the  prophesied  captivity.  Seven  years  after 
Daniel  had  been  carried  captive  into  Babylon,  Nebuch- 
adnezzar came  again  into  Jerusalem,  and  took  Jehoa- 


170  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

kim  the  king  of  Judah  and  a  large  number  of  captives, 
of  whom  Ezekiel  was  one ;  neither  he  nor  the  king 
being  yet  nine  years  of  age.  They  were  taken  to 
Mesopotamia.  These  dates  will  compare  very  nearly 
with  those  given  by  Jeremiah  lii.  31  :  "And  it  came  to 
pass  in  the  seven  and  thirtieth  year  of  the  captivity  of 
Jehoachim,  king  of  Judah,  in  the  twelfth  month,  in  the 
five  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  that  Evil  Mero- 
dach,  king  of  Babylon,  in  the  first  year  of  his  reign, 
lifted  up  the  head  of  Jehoachim,  king  of  Judah,  and 
brought  him  forth  out  of  prison."  The  taking  of  Jeru- 
salem was  first  under  the  reign  of  Jehoakim,  606  years 
B.C.;  second  under  the  reign  of  Jehoiachin,  599  years 
B.C.,  and  third  under  the  reign  of  Zedekiah,  588  years 
B.C.  The  captivity  of  Zedekiah  and  the  death  of  Bel- 
shazzar  put  an  end  to  both  kingdoms.  Jehoakim  had 
reigned  three  years  when  Nebuchadnezzar  came  and 
carried  Daniel  into  captivity.  He  then  restored  Jeho- 
akim, and  he  reigned  seven  years  longer  in  Jerusalem. 
In  the  third  year  of  his  second  reign  Daniel  inter- 
preted Nebuchadnezzar's  dream,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  was  made  ruler  over  all  Babylon.  This 
he  retained  up  to  the  death  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  a 
period  of  forty  years.  From  this  time  up  to  the  night 
of  the  death  of  Belshazzar  he  was  the  chief  book- 
keeper, or  secretary  of  state,  but  on  his  interpretation 
of  the  handwriting  on  the  wall,  he  was  made  third 
ruler  over  Babylon,  which  he  held  through  the  reign 


DANIEL.  I/I 

of  Darius,  a  period  of  two  years,  when  Darius  died  and 
Cyrus  took  the  reins  of  the  government. 

The  prophesied  seventy  years  was  now  fulfilled,  and 
Daniel  took  the  parchment  of  Isaiah's  prophesies  to 
Cyrus,  showing  him  that  the  prophet  had  called  him 
by  name  nearly  two  hundred  years  before  he  was  born, 
and  had  prophesied  that  he  would  destroy  the  Assy- 
rian kingdom,  liberate  the  Jews,  build  Jerusalem,  and 
lay  the  foundation  of  the  temple,  and  that  if  he  did 
not  hearken  unto  the  voice  of  prophecy  his  kingdom 
would  be  wrenched  from  him  and  given  to  another. 
Having  secured  from  Cyrus  a  partial  promise  that  he 
would  fulfill  the  laws  and  prophets  imposed  upon  him, 
he  remained  in  Babylon  until  after  the  vision  of  Cyrus, 
which  bore  the  fruits  of  restoration,  on  that  same  day. 
He  then  went  away  to  Shushan,  in  Persia,  where  he 
died  eight  years  afterwards,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety  years.  The  only  building  left  standing  in  that 
ancient  city  is  the  tomb  bearing  his  name. 

Ezekiel,  after  being  liberated  from  Mesopotamia, 
went  to  Chebar,  where  he  died  while  yet  a  young  man 
among  his  Jewish  companions.  Ezekiel  began  to 
prophesy  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  continuing 
for  a  period  of  twenty-two  years,  and  dying  at  the  age 
of  thirty  one.  During  the  last  two  years  of  the  Jewish 
captivity,  Daniel  was  second  to  none  save  the  king. 
During  the  reign  of  Darius  a  plot  was  formed  by  the 
enemies  of  Daniel  for  his  destruction.  The  miracle  of 


172  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

the  three  Hebrew  worthies  did  not  leave  any  impres- 
sion on  the  king,  for  he  was  puffed  up  with  the  same 
pride  that  characterized  Nebuchadnezzar.  No  charge 
could  be  brought  against  Daniel  save  that  concerning 
the  law  of  God,  and  no  human  power  could  be  brought 
to  bear,  that  could  compel  him  to  deviate  one  iota 
from  a  fixed  and  immovable  trust  in  Jehovah.  He 
was  not  surprised  then  when  an  edict  was  thrust  be- 
fore him,  decreeing  that  any  one  asking  a  petition  of 
God  or  man  for  thirty  days,  save  of  the  king,  should 
be  cast  into  the  lions'  den. 

As  soon  as  Daniel  learned  that  the  king  had  signed 
the  edict,  he  being  acquainted  with  the  unchangeable 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  went  straight  to  his 
room,  and,  opening  his  window  that  looked  toward 
Jerusalem,  bowed  himself  down  in  prayer.  This  was 
what  his  enemies  sought,  and  hence  immediately  re- 
ported it  to  the  king.  Now,  the  king,  when  he  came 
to  himself,  was  exceedingly  sorry,  as  he  now  saw 
through  the  whole  scheme.  They  would  destroy 
Daniel  to  elevate  themselves,  but  on  account  of  the 
law  he  was  compelled  to  execute  it ;  consequently  he 
called  the  prophet,  and  commanded  that  he  be  cast 
into  the  den  of  the  lions.  When  Daniel  found  himself 
at  the  bottom  of  the  den,  he  also  found  that  every  lion 
was  surrounded  with  angels.  Like  Jeremiah,  he  was 
face  to  face  with  the  angels  of  the  Lord.  When  the 
morning  came,  and  the  king  hastened  to  the  den,  he 


DANIEL.  175 

was  surprised  to  find  the  prophet  ready  to  bid  him 
good  morning.  Having  been  assured  that  Daniel  had 
rested  well,  he  commanded  that  his  accusers  be  sub- 
jected to  the  same  treatment,  and,  behold !  they  were 
torn  to  pieces  before  they  had  reached  the  bottom  of 
the  den. 

Daniel  foretold  the  fourth  king  after  Cyrus,  who 
would  attack  the  Grecians ;  he  foretold  Antiochus  and 
his  persecutions  of  the  Jews,  and  the  abolition  of  the 
sacrifice  in  the  temple ;  and,  finally,  the  wars  of  the 
Alexandrian  kings,  waged  with  one  another,  in  Syria 
and  Egypt.  Seven  years  after  Daniel  removed  into 
Persia,  Cyrus  died,  having  reigned  in  Babylon  seven 
years :  nine  years  from  the  conquest,  and  thirty  years 
from  the  day  he  became  general  of  the  Persian  army. 
As  the  royal  sons,  together  with  Daniel,  stood  around 
his  bedside,  the  dying  king  said :  "  Enclose  my  body 
in  neither  gold  nor  silver,  nor  any  other  matter,  but 
restore  it  immediately  to  earth.  I  have  never  seen  my 
soul,  but  I  know  that  it  actually  exists,  else  why  are 
honors  paid  to  the  body  after  death,  but  if  nothing  re- 
mains of  me  after  death,  then  fear  God,  whose  power 
is  infinite." 

Thus  passed  away  Cyrus,  the  liberator  of  the  Jews, 
under  the  command  of  the  Most  High  God,  the  wisest 
king  who  ever  swayed  the  sceptre  among  the  eastern 
empires.  It  was  a  fitting  tribute  to  his  memory,  that 
Daniel,  who  was  the  first  captive,  and  who  remained 


176  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

among  them  for  the  full  seventy  years,  should  stand 
by  his  open  grave  and  offer  up  thanks  to  God  for  the 
gift  of  Cyrus,  the  liberator  of  his  people.  Daniel  lived 
one  year  longer,  dying  surrounded  by  the  royal  house- 
hold and  many  of  the  wise  men  of  the  East,  as  his 
fame,  like  that  of  Solomon,  had  extended  throughout 
all  the  empires  of  the  world.  His  entire  life  was  one 
of  self-sacrifice  to  the  captive  Jews  and  glorification  to 
the  God  of  Israel.  "And  they  that  be  wise,  shall  shine 
as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn 
many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 
We  find,  then,  in  summing  up,  that  there  were  three 
distinguished  Jews,  viz.,  Joseph,  Daniel,  and  Mordecai. 
Each  were  second  only  in  the  three  kingdoms ;  Mem- 
phis, Babylon,  and  Shushan  being  the  capital  cities. 
Ahasuerus,  the  king  of  Persia,  being  none  other  than 
Cambyses,  the  father  of  Cyrus.  It  will  also  be  noticed 
that  as  soon  as  Cyrus  subdued  nations,  he  placed  upon 
the  throne  one  of  his  own  family,  and  hence,  at  the 
fall  of  Babylon,  the  three  great  armies,  viz.,  the  Medes 
under  command  of  Darius  1st,  the  Persians  under  com- 
mand of  Ahasuerus,  and  the  Lydians  under  command 
of  Darius  2d,  all  joined  their  forces  for  the  complete 
overthrow  of  the  Chaldeans.  It  will  be  noticed,  fur- 
ther, that  at  the  fall  of  Babylon  the  third  Darius  took 
the  sceptre,  all  being  sons  of  Astyages.  During  the 
two  years'  reign  of  Darius  the  3d  in  Babylon,  Mor- 
decai had  succeeded  in  liberating  the  Jews  in  Persia, 


DANIEL.  I/? 

who  were  crushed  under  the  heel  of  Haman.  "  For 
Mordecai  the  Jew  was  next  unto  king  Ahasuerus,  and 
great  among  the  Jews."  At  the  death  of  Ahasuerus 
and  Darius,  Cyrus  took  the  crown  of  both  thrones,  viz., 
Chaldean  and  Persian,  and  hence  the  Jews  from  Baby- 
lon under  Zerubbabel,  and  the  Jews  from  Persia  under 
Mordecai,  all  flocked  to  Jerusalem  to  rebuild  the  city 
and  temple,  followed  by  the  blessing  of  Daniel,  one  of 
the  most  marvelous  men  recorded  in  sacred  history. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE   PROPHETS. 

IF  two  lights  are  placed  in  front  of  the  mirror  they 
will  produce  a  double  shadow  just  so  long  as  they  are 
of  unequal  densities,  but  the  very  moment  they  be- 
come equalized  they  will  cast  but  one.  The  first  is 
true  of  all  mankind,  the  last  is  true  of  the  Redeemer 
only.  Every  element  within  Him  was  equal,  every 
element  of  mankind  unequal,  and  thus  the  peculiar 
elements  in  the  character  of  Jonah  threw  its  shadow 
to  us  as  an  eclipse,  while  God  saw  the  silver  lining  of 
the  cloud  and  treated  him  exactly  the  same  as  a  be- 
nevolent father  treats  a  petulant  child. 

If  we  look  at  the  moon  when  she  is  waxing  from 
new  to  full,  or  waning  from  full  to  new,  we  shall  see 
the  shadow  gradually  removed,  from  night  to  night, 
until  she  comes  forth  in  all  the  glory  of  a  full  moon 
without  a  shadow.  She  then  begins  to  wane  back 
again  until  she  is  lost  in  shadowy  land.  If  an  eclipse 
of  the  moon  occurs,  every  eye  is  turned  toward  the 
shrouded  satellite  and  men  stand  gazing  up  into 
heaven,  with  fear  and  trembling  at  this  grand  phenom- 
(178) 


THE   PROPHETS.  179 

ena  of  nature's  law,  and  yet  the  same  shadow  that 
causes  the  one  produces  the  other.  One  is  just  as 
much  a  law  of  nature  as  the  other.  On  the  one  we 
look  with  supreme  indifference,  on  the  other  with  pro- 
found awe.  The  same  is  true  of  the  shadow  of  sleep 
and  death — the  one  soothes,  the  other  frightens. 

In  mankind  we  gauge  the  reputation,  God  gauges 
the  character. 

Thus  with  Jonah.  To  us  his  acts  exceeded  his 
prophecies,  and  yet,  notwithstanding  his  disobedience, 
his  last  act  saved  a  mighty  city  from  destruction. 

Jonah  was  the  first  of  the  prophets  and  flourished 
under  the  reign  of  Jeroboam.  Contemporary  with 
Isaiah  were  Amos,  Hosea,  Nahum,  Micah,  and  Joel. 
Contemporary  with  Jeremiah  were  Zephaniah,  Ha- 
bakkuk,  Daniel,  and  Ezekiel.  Those  born  in  captivity 
were  Zechariah  and  Haggai.  Ezra,  a  Jewish  law-giver, 
and  Nehemiah  of  the  royal  house  of  David,  obtained 
permission  to  go  up  and  build  the  temple.  They  were 
accompanied  by  Obadiah  and  Malachi,  the  last  of  the 
prophets. 

Isaiah  was  poetical  and  sublime,  Jeremiah  was  heroic 
and  fearless,  while  Daniel  excelled  in  wisdom  and  un- 
derstanding; Joel  was  the  most  eloquent,  Habakkuk 
the  most  vindictive,  and  Ezekiel  the  most  mysterious ; 
Zephaniah  was  scholarly,  Zechariah  pointed,  and  Hag- 
gai earnest ;  Nahum  was  classical,  Micah  was  progres- 
sive, and  Jonah  disobedient ;  Obadiah  was  brief,  while 


ISO  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

Malachi  observed  a  sacred  regard  for  all  of  the  laws 
written  by  Moses. 

Isaiah's  prophecies  extend  over  a  period  of  ninety 
years.  Beginning  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  he  prophe- 
sied up  to  the  moment  of  his  slaughter  by  Manasseh. 

If  his  prophecies  concerning  Cyrus  were  uttered  in 
his  youth,  then  there  elapsed  a  peried  of  two  hundred 
years  between  them  and  his  birth,  as  the  death  of  the 
prophet  occurred  one  hundred  and  ten  years  prior  to 
the  birth  of  Cyrus.  From  this  fact  his  prophecies  are 
the  most  marvelous  of  any  contained  in  the  Scriptures, 
when  brought  out  separately  for  investigation. 

Speaking  of  Hezekiah,  he  says :  "  Behold  the  day 
cometh  when  all  that  is  in  thine  house  shall  be  carried 
to  Babylon.  Nothing  shall  be  left,  saith  the  Lord." 
Of  the  famine  in  Jerusalem,  he  says :  "  For  behold  the 
Lord  taketh  away  from  Judah  the  stay  of  bread  and 
the  stay  of  water."  In  the  fall  of  Babylon  he  calls 
Cyrus  by  name,  and  again  in  the  restoration  of  Judah. 
"  He  is  my  shepherd  and  shall  perform  all  my  pleasure, 
even  saying  to  Jerusalem,  thou  shalt  be  built,  and  to 
the  temple,  thy  foundations  shall  be  laid." 

Speaking  of  Jeremiah,  he  says :  "  The  captive  exile 
hasteneth  that  he  may  be  loosed,  and  that  he  should 
not  die  in  the  pit,  nor  that  his  bread  should  fail."  In 
speaking  of  Christ :  "  And  the  Redeemer  shall  come  to 
Zion."  Of  the  dark  ages  that  were  to  follow  the  com- 
ing of  our  Lord,  beginning  in  the  year  486  A.D.,  and 


THE  PROPHETS.  l8l 

ending  in  1495  A.D.,  he  says :  "  For  behold  the  dark- 
ness shall  cover  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the  peo- 
ple, but  the  Lord  shall  rise  upon  thee."  Of  the  great 
highway  that  has  been  cut  through  the  desert :  "  In 
that  day  shall  there  be  a  highway  out  of  Egypt  to 
Assyria,  and  the  Assyrians  shall  come  into  Egypt,  and 
the  Egyptians  shall  serve  with  the  Assyrians." 

Historians  have  thought  that  if  there  were  any  of 
the  prophecies  that  could  never  be  fulfilled  this  would 
be  the  one,  and  thus  we  can  see  that  under  no  circum- 
stances can  any  of  the  prophecies  of  God  be  set  at 
naught ;  all  must  be  fulfilled  to  the  letter  of  the  law. 

"  Therefore  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  return 
and  come  with  singing  into  Zion."  "And  he  said,  It 
is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldst  be  my  servant  to 
raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  and  to  restore  the  pre- 
served of  Israel.  I  will  also  give  them  for  a  light  to 
the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Arise,  shine,  for  thy  light  is 
come  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  has  risen  upon  thee." 
"And  the  idols  he  shall  utterly  abolish." 

Nahum  prophesied  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  and 
the  complete  overthrow  of  the  Assyrians ;  Micah  the 
destruction  of  Samaria,  the  captivity  of  the  Jews,  and 
their  return  under  Zerubbabel ;  Joel  foretold  Christ 
and  prophesied  events  that  were  to  take  place  at  Pen- 
tecost ;  Zephaniah  prophesied  the  overthrow  of  the 
Jews,  the  destruction  of  the  heathen  nations,  also  a 


1 82  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

remnant  of  Judah  to  be  left,  which  in  due  time  would 
bless  the  earth. 

Habakkuk  prophesied  the  vengeance  of  the  Almighty 
against  the  Chaldeans  and  thanks  God  for  this  just 
retribution.  Ezekiel  prophesied  the  destruction  of  the 
Jews  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  Restoration,  and  the  re- 
building of  Jerusalem. 

The  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  are  as  mysterious  as  the 
Book  of  Revelations.  Those,  however,  that  can  be  un- 
derstood have  all  come  to  pass. 

Daniel  was  full  of  wisdom  and  understanding  beyond 
our  knowledge.  Like  Ezekiel,  those  prophecies  that 
can  be  understood  were  fulfilled.  Zechariah  prophe- 
sied the  reuniting  of  Judah  and  Israel,  the  overthrow 
of  Egypt  and  Assyria,  the  coming  of  our  Lord  in  all 
His  glory  on  Mount  Olivet,  the  millennium,  and  holi- 
ness unto  the  Lord.  "Yea,  every  pot  in  Jerusalem 
and  Judah  shall  be  holiness  unto  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 
Obadiah  prophesied  the  future  glory  of  the  house  of 
Jacob. 

Every  prophecy,  save  those  that  were  to  come  to 
pass  in  the  fulness  of  time,  have  been  literally  fulfilled. 

That  they  spoke  by  divine  inspiration  there  can  be 
no  reasonable  doubt,  and  that  the  Bible  will  be  handed 
down,  through  all  time,  as  a  book  of  Divine  Reve- 
lation is  a  foregone  conclusion.  If  Jerusalem  had 
obeyed  the  voice  of  the  prophets  at  the  last  moment 
she  would  have  been  saved.  Nineveh  hearkened  to 


THE   PROPHETS.  183 

the  voice  of  Jonah,  and  at  the  eleventh  hour  escaped 
destruction. 

God  is  unchangeable  towards  sin,  but  changeable  in 
obedience.  "  For  we  have  not  a  high  priest  that  can- 
not be  touched  with  the  feelings  of  our  infirmities." 
"  In  those  days  was  Hezekiah  sick  unto  death,  and 
Isaiah  the  prophet,  the  son  of  Amoz,  came  unto  him, 
and  said  unto  him :  '  This  saith  the  Lord ;  set  thine 
house  in  order,  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  live.'  Then 
Hezekiah  turned  his  face  towards  the  wall,  and  prayed 
unto  the  Lord,  and  said  :  '  Remember  now,  O  Lord,  I 
beseech  Thee,  how  I  have  walked  before  Thee  in  truth, 
and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  have  done  that  which 
was  good  in  Thy  sight.'  And  Hezekiah  wept  sore. 
Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Isaiah,  saying : 
'  Go  and  say  to  Hezekiah :  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  David  thy  father,  I  have  heard  thy  prayer,  I 
have  seen  thy  tears,  behold  I  will  add  unto  thy  days 
fifteen  years.'  And  God  saw  their  works,  that  they 
turned  from  their  evil  ways,  and  God  repented  of  the 
evil  that  He  had  said  that  He  would  do  unto  them, 
and  did  it  not." 

The  reader  will  now  take  notice,  first,  the  great 
opposition  that  existed,  in  founding  kingdoms,  up  to 
the  hour  when  Manasseh  the  great  eagle  took  her 
flight  westward,  to  found  and  establish  the  Kingdom 
of  our  God.  "  And  behold,  the  glory  of  the  God  of 
Israel  came  by  the  way  of  the  East,"  where  idols  are 


1 84  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

unknown,  slavery  overthrown,  cities  without  walls, 
freedom  from  the  Mosaic  law,  worship  of  God,  and 
acceptation  of  the  Branch.  As  every  sun,  planet,  and 
satellite  are  traveling  rapidly  toward  the  Pleiades  of 
which  Job  spoke,  so  just  as  sure  are  all  prophecies  be- 
ing rapidly  fulfilled.  The  abolition  of  slavery  was  just 
as  surely  in  fulfillment  of  prophecy  as  the  restoration 
of  the  Jews. 

The  captive  slaves  saw  the  star  in  the  East ;  they 
saw  Abraham,  with  an  edict  in  his  hand,  proclaim  lib- 
erty to  the  sons  of  Ham.  The  curse  of  Canaan  abol- 
ished by  the  sons  of  Joseph,  light,  liberty,  salvation, 
and  a  glorious  resurrection  through  the  Son  of  God. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MONOTHEISM. 
The  Hebrews. 

"  IN  that  day  shall  there  be  an  altar  to  the  Lord,  in 
the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  a  pillar  at  the  bor- 
der thereof  to  the  Lord." 

"  And  it  shall  be  for  a  sign  and  for  a  witness  unto 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  in  the  land  of  Egypt." 

For  thousands  of  years  the  great  pyramid  has  stood 
on  the  borders  and  in  the  midst  of  Egypt,  a  living 
miracle  of  the  truth  of  prophecy. 

"  Lower  Egypt  is  shaped  like  an  open  fan,  and  the 
great  pyramid  is  built  at  the  centre  or  handle,  thereby 
proving  from  a  mathematical  standpoint  to  be  not  only 
in  the  midst  but  on  the  border,  while  Egypt  stands  in 
exactly  the  land  centre  of  the  world." 

"Around  this  pyramid  were  gathered  the  Hebrew 
children,  their  tents  occupying  the  positions  of  the 
twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  each  tribe  knowing  the  ex- 
act position  of  that  sign  in  the  heavens." 

"  The  signet  of  Reuben,  the  first  born,  was  Aquarius, 

(185) 


1 86  THE   IRISH    PRINCE. 

which  means  water-pouring,  and  hence  Jacob  says  of 
him,  "  Unstable  as  water  thou  shalt  not  excel." 

The  signet  of  Dan  was  Scorpio,  which  means  conflict, 
and  thus  it  is  written :  "  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by  the 
way,  an  adder  in  the  path  that  biteth  the  horses'  heels, 
so  that  his  rider  shall  fall  backward." 

The  signet  of  Benjamin  was  Gemini,  which  means 
united. 

The  twelve  signs  of  the  heavenly  zodiac  were  given 
to  the  twelve  tribes  in  this  manner : 

"  Reuben — Aquarius,  meaning  water-pouring. 

"  Simeon — Pisces,  meaning  fishes,  which  stand  for 
multitude. 

"  Levi — Libra,  meaning  scales,  and  stands  for  the  law. 

"  Judah — Leo,  meaning  lion,  which  means  power,  as 
the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

"  Dan — Scorpio,  meaning  scorpion  or  conflict. 

"  Naphtali — Capricornus,  a  goat,  meaning  cut  off. 

"  Gad — Aries,  a  ram,  meaning  sent  forth. 

"  Asher — Sagittarius,  an  archer — that  is,  a  destroyer. 

"  Issacher — Cancer,  a  crab,  meaning  strength,  to  hold 
fast. 

"  Zebulun — Virgo,  a  virgin,  meaning  purity. 

"  Joseph — Taurus,  a  bull,  meaning  fruitful. 

"  Benjamin — Gemini,  the  twins,  meaning  united.'3 

In  this  tribal  position  we  can  see  at  a  glance  the 
whole  plan  of  salvation  as  taught  from  the  founding  of 
the  Jewish  priesthood  by  Melchizedek  (who  was  none 


MONOTHEISM.  l8/ 

other  than  the  Son  of  God)  up  to  the  moment  when  he 
appeared  to  Nebuchadnezzar  in  the  fiery  furnace,  with 
the  Hebrew  children;  still  onward  to  the  rending  of  the 
veil  of  the  temple;  thereby  ending  the  law  and  estab- 
lishing the  promise. 

We  begin  with  the  instability  of  Reuben,  as  taught 
in  the  fall  of  Adam,  to  Levi,  who  were  represented 
with  the  scales,  to  typify  the  law,  the  service  of  the 
temple,  and  the  instruction  of  the  people,  up  to  Ju- 
dah,  who  should  bring  forth  the  lion  of  the  tribe,  to  be 
rejected  by  them  and  accepted  and  united,  by  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin. 

Joseph,  meaning  fruitful,  would  not  only  control  the 
granaries  of  Egypt,  but  his  seed,  Ephraim  and  Manas- 
seh,  would  control  the  granaries  of  the  world. 

It  was  in  this  position,  and  according  to  the  signs  of 
the  zodiac,  that  the  Hebrew  children  surrounded  the 
great  pyramid  in  the  days  of  Moses,  each  tribe  knowing 
his  position  by  the  position  of  the  stars. 

From  the  Egyptian  captivity,  up  to  the  days  of  Re- 
hoboam,  they  were  called  Hebrews  and  also  the  children 
of  Israel,  but  from  the  days  of  Rehoboam,  they  took  the 
name  of  Jews  in  contradistinction  from  Israel,  hence 
the  term  Hebrews,  or  Israelites,  as  applied  to  the  Jews 
of  to-day  is  erroneous,  as  those  terms  were  used  only 
prior  to  the  time  when  the  twelve  tribes  were  divided 
into  two  kingdoms,  viz.:  The  house  of  Israel  and  the 
house  of  Judah. 


188  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

The  history  of  this  peculiar  people  begins  from  the 
moment  God  called  Abraham  up  out  of  Chaldea  to 
establish  the  true  seed  of  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah. 

Immediately  after  Melchizedek,  king  of  Salem,  had 
established  the  Levitical  priesthood,  God  appeared  to 
Abraham  and  said  unto  him  :  "  Know  of  a  surety  that 
thy  seed  shall  be  a  stranger  in  a  land  that  is  not  theirs, 
and  shall  serve  them,  and  they  shall  afflict  them  four 
hundred  years." 

The  prophecy  was  literally  fulfilled  in  the  Egyptian 
captivity. 

Again,  a  promise  was  given  by  God  Himself,  that 
Sarah  should  bear  a  son  in  her  old  age,  and  that  she 
should  call  his  name  Isaac,  which  promise  was  miracu- 
lously fulfilled. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  after  Abraham  would  have 
offered  up  Isaac  for  a  burnt  sacrifice,  that  God  swore  by 
Himself,  saying:  "  That  in  blessing  I  will  bless  thee, 
and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars 
of  heaven  and  as  the  sands  which  are  upon  the  seashore, 
and  thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gates  of  his  enemies ;  and 
in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed, 
because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice." 

We  follow  this  line  of  patriarchs  up  to  the  days  of 
Jacob,  who,  on  account  of  a  famine  in  the  land  entered 
into  Egypt  with  all  of  his  family,  numbering  seventy 
souls.  Here  they  remained  four  hundred  and  thirty 


MONOTHEISM.  189 

years.  The  first  thirty  years,  however,  was  under  the 
reign  of  Joseph,  but  after  his  death  "  there  arose  a  king 
that  knew  not  Joseph." 

From  this  point  of  time  began  the  four  hundred 
years'  captivity,  according  as  God  had  revealed  to 
Abraham. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  captivity  there  arose  a 
mighty  Hebrew,  who  had  been  taught  all  of  the  arts 
and  sciences  of  the  Egyptian  school.  God  had  been 
with  him  from  the  day  he  was  hid  in  the  ark  of  bul- 
rushes up  to  the  day  he  was  ordained  a  prophet  and  a 
leader  of  his  people. 

The  seventy  who  came  into  Egypt  in  the  days  of 
Jacob  now  numbered  a  mighty  nation  of  three  millions 
of  souls. 

Day  was  dawning.  The  long  night  of  captivity  was 
drawing  to  a  close. 

The  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  growing  harder  day  by 
day,  as  one  plague  after  another  came  upon  him,  yet 
God  remembered  the  number  of  the  days  of  their  cap- 
tivity. 

Look !  The  captives  are  moving  toward  the  Red 
Sea.  We  hear  the  tramp  of  that  mighty  host,  and  as 
they  pass  on  we  hear  another  mighty  shout.  Pharaoh 
with  six  hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all  the  chariots 
of  Egypt,  and  captains  over  every  one  of  them,  are  in 
hot  pursuit. 

"  Stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  which 


190  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

He  will  show  you  to-day."  The  rod  is  raised,  the  sea 
divides,  the  angel  of  God  stands  between  them  and  the 
Egyptians.  To  the  captives  it  is  a  pillar  of  fire;  to  the 
Egyptians  a  cloud  as  black  as  night. 

"  Move  on  "  is  the  command  given  by  Pharaoh,  and 
they  enter  into  the  road  of  death. 

All  night  long  they  press  onward  through  the  inky 
blackness  into  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

Now  we  see  the  Lord  of  Hosts  remove  the  chariot 
wheels,  then  we  hear  the  Egyptians  say,  "  Let  us  flee 
from  the  face  of  Israel,  for  the  Lord  fighteth  for  them 
against  us." 

But  alas,  it  is  too  late,  their  hour  has  come,  their  sun 
has  set.  The  arm  of  Moses  is  raised,  the  sea  returns  to 
his  strength,  Israel  is  saved. 

And  now  their  wanderings  for  forty  years,  in  the 
wilderness  of  the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  has  actually  begun. 

The  commandments  were  given  to  Moses,  the  Levit- 
ical  priesthood  firmly  established,  the  Passover  pro- 
claimed, the  Sabbath  made  holy,  and  the  atonement 
provided  for;  but  death,  that  mighty  giant,  was  on 
their  track. 

The  forty  years  are  past,  and  we  see  Moses  standing 
on  the  top  of  Mount  Pisgah  over  against  Jericho,  look- 
ing over  the  promised  land  from  Gilead  unto  Dan,  and 
we  hear  the  Lord  say  unto  him  :  "This  is  the  land  that 
I  swear  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob, 
saying  I  will  give  it  unto  thy  seed." 


MONOTHEISM.  1QI 

"  I  have  caused  thee  to  see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but 
thou  shalt  not  go  over  thither." 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  out  of  that  mighty  host 
of  three  million  of  people,  save  Caleb  and  Joshua,  none 
were  permitted  to  enter  into  the  promised  land. 

The  Hebrews  had  now  entered  the  promised  land 
under  Joshua,  and  continued  on  as  a  republic,  up  to 
Samuel,  the  first  of  the  prophets  and  the  last  of  the 
judges,  when  the  Hebrew  nation  became  a  kingdom 
under  Saul,  a  Benjaminite ;  and  this  form  of  govern- 
ment continued  on  up  to  the  death  of  Solomon,  when 
the  kingdom  became  divided,  Judah  under  Rehoboam 
the  son  of  Solomon,  and  Israel  under  Jeroboam,  the 
Ephraimite. 

Here  we  see  for  the  first  time  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween Judah  and  Israel,  and  it  is  from  this  time  that  the 
prophecies  concerning  them  differ  in  a  marvelous  degree. 

After  nineteen  kings  had  reigned  over  Israel,  they 
were  finally  conquered  by  Salmanassar,  king  of  Assyria, 
and  carried  away  captives  725  B.C. 

Twenty  kings  of  the  house  of  David  reigned  over 
Judah  up  to  the  Babylonish  captivity,  when  Zedekiah 
was  conquered,  Jerusalem  overthrown,  and  the  temple 
burned. 

After  their  captivity  of  seventy  years  was  ended  they 
returned  to  Jerusalem  with  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  for 
the  purpose  of  rebuilding  the  city  and  temple  for  the 
coming  of  our  Saviour,  but  at  his  appearance  Judah 


192  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

refused,  while  Benjamin  accepted,  as  all  of  his  disciples 
were  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  save  Judas  Iscariot. 

Thus  these  tribes  continued  together,  up  to  the  year 
70  A.D.,  when  Titus  besieged  Jerusalem. 

The  commanding  general  was  ordered  to  batter 
down  the  wall,  after  which  they  retired  to  rest,  and 
during  this  time  the  Benjaminites  made  their  escape. 

When  Titus  found  that  this  tribe  had  made  their 
escape,  he  called  his  commanding  general  to  an  account, 
and  he  was  speechless. 

This,  however,  was  in  direct  fulfillment  of  the  proph- 
ecy of  Jeremiah. 

The  number  of  Jews  killed,  as  given  by  Josephus, 
was  one  million  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty. 

The  Jews  were  then  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of 
heaven. 

"  And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  fo»-  a  curse,  unto  my 
chosen :  for  the  Lord  God  shall  slay  chee,  and  call  His 
servant  by  another  name." 

The  term  Israel  designates  the  ten  tribes  that  were 
lost,  while  Judah  represents  the  tribes  of  Judah  and 
Levi,  who  are  to  this  day  living  monuments  of  the 
throne  of  David  and  the  Levitical  priesthood.  The 
name  Israel  was  given  by  God  Himself,  and  our  Saviour 
distinctly  declares  "  that  he  was  not  sent  but  unto  the 
'lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.''  It  is  therefore 
certain  that  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  people 


MONOTHEISM.  193 

will  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Sa- 
viour Jesus  Christ  through  the  "  House  of  Israel." 

"  Evidences  above,  below, 

Proclaim  the  blood  they  cost ; 
And  prophecy  combines  to  show 
'  The  Jews  were  never  lost.' 

"  Evidence  above,  below, 

And  all  around, 

With  prophecy,  combines  to  show 
'  The  Lost  Ten  Tribes '  are  found." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

LIBERTY  TO   THE   CAPTIVE. 

IN  a  secret  chamber  leading  out  of  the  court  of  the 
palace  in  Babylon,  Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  was  sitting  on 
a  throne,  clad  in  the  habiliments  of  a  Knight  of  the 
East.  The  Commandery  had  been  called  together  for 
the  purpose  of  freeing  the  Jews  from  the  Babylonish 
yoke.  The  seventy  years  had  expired,  and  prophecy 
was  fulfilled. 

The  chamber  was  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelogram, 
thrones  being  in  the  East,  West,  and  South,  and  was 
fitted  up  to  resemble  the  lodge-rooms  of  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem. 

The  tapestry  was  green  and  gold.  The  throne  in 
the  East  was  covered  with  a  mantle  of  royal  purple, 
while  the  altar  was  covered  with  green,  mixed  with 
gold.  Over  the  head  of  the  sovereign  master  was  a 
triangle  bearing  the  sacred  word  Jehovah. 

An  eagle  stood  on  the  triangle,  with  a  parchment  in 
his  beak,  whereon  was  written  in  golden  letters,  "  Lib- 
erty to  the  Captives."  The  jewel  worn  by  the  master 
was  a  triple  triangle  bearing  the  word  Shibboleth.  His 
(194) 


LIBERTY   TO   THE   CAPTIVE.  IQ5 

loins  were  girded  with  a  lambskin,  or  leathern  apron, 
and  around  his  neck  was  a  cable  of  green  and  gold. 
The  knights  present  were  of  all  nationalities.  Egyp- 
tians, Greeks,  Medes,  Persians,  Chaldeans,  and  Jews, 
all  sitting  side  by  side,  bound  together  with  that  strong 
cord  of  masonry  and  brotherly  love  that  will  have  its 
full  fruition  beyond  the  river.  Zechariah  the  Seer  was 
kneeling  before  the  altar  with  his  head  bowed  in 
prayer. 

Presently  the  master  arose,  and,  taking  up  the  parch- 
ment, began  to  read  from  First  Kings.  "  And  his  ser- 
vants said  unto  him,  behold  now  we  have  heard  that 
the  kings  of  the  house  of  Israel  are  merciful  kings ;  let 
us,  I  pray  thee,  put  sackcloth  on  our  loins,  and  ropes 
over  our  heads,  and  go  out  to  the  king  of  Israel.  Per- 
adventure  he  will  save  thy  life.  So  they  girded  sack- 
cloth on  their  loins,  and  put  ropes  over  their  heads, 
and  came  to  the  king  of  Israel  and  said :  '  Thy  servant 
Benhadad  saith,  I  pray  thee  let  me  live,  and  he  said,  Is 
he  yet  alive?  he  is  my  brother.'  Now  the  men  did 
diligently  observe  whether  anything  would  come  from 
him,  and  did  hastily  catch  it,  and  they  said,  '  Thy  brother 
Benhadad.'  Then  he  said,  '  Go  ye,  bring  him.'  Then 
Benhadad  came  forth  to  him,  and  he  caused  him  to 
come  up  into  the  chariot.  So  he  made  a  covenant 
with  him,  and  sent  him  away.  This  covenant,  my 
brethren,  remains  binding  with  us,  and  will  remain 
among  masons  till  time  shall  be  no  longer.  Our  Grand 


196  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

Master  Hiram  Abif  laid  down  his  tressle  board,  faith- 
ful to  his  trust.  It  remains  for  us  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample through  life,  exactly  in  the  same  manner  that 
he  met  his  death,  viz.,  true  to  every  principle. 

"  I  have  long  since  resolved  to  liberate  the  Jews. 
Their  cry  has  gone  up  for  seventy  years,  '  Lord,  free  us 
us  from  bondage.'  But  the  time  was  not  yet.  Jere- 
miah foretold  the  beginning,  and  the  end.  He  was 
persecuted,  as  they  have  been  persecuted,  and  finally 
sought  a  foreign  shore,  to  establish  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  that  will  be  as  enduring  as  the  everlasting  hills. 
Our  ark  and  our  pillar  are  the  foundation  of  a  king- 
dom that  can  never  die.  When  the  last  trump  shall 
sound,  it  will  find  them  at  work  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  three  grand  jewels  of  masonry,  viz.,  faith,  hope, 
and  charity." 

But  now  there  comes  over  me  a  vision  in  the  night, 
for  I  dreamed  I  was  standing  in  the  oracle  of  King 
Solomon's  Temple,  with  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  ark  of 
the  covenant,  for  out  of  it  there  arose  a  halo  of  glory, 
in  which  was  a  triple  triangle,  bearing  the  word  Seventy. 
While  I  was  thinking  it  should  be  seven,  to  commemo- 
rate the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  our  God,  I  saw  standing 
before  the  ark  of  the  covenant  the  king  and  queen 
of  Israel.  Over  their  head  was  a  diadem,  on  which 
was  emblazoned,  "Judah  and  Israel."  Under  their 
feet  was  a  crown  of  gold  on  which  was  written :  "  I 
have  established  my  throne  forever." 


LIBERTY   TO   THE   CAPTIVE.  197 

"  I  knew  then  that  Judah  ruled  over  Israel,  and 
that  when  Shiloh  came  to  be  led  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  the  kingdom  would  be  established,  and 
again,  when  he  came  a  second  time  in  all  of  his  glory  on 
Mount  Olivet,  when  the  angel  should  swear  by  Him 
that  liveth  forever,  that  time  should  be  no  longer,  the 
throne  would  still  have  an  heir  to  meet  the  coming  of 
our  Lord." 

If  we  look  at  a  beautiful  sunset,  when  the  day  is  fast 
fading  into  the  twilight,  and  view  its  rapidly  changing 
colors,  or  if  we  look  at  the  rainbow  in  all  of  its  pris- 
matic glory,  while  we  look  behold  it  dies ;  and  so  the 
beautiful  scene  vanished  from  my  sight,  and  in  their 
place  stood  "  Jeremiah  the  prophet,"  holding  in  his 
right  hand  an  edict,  and  in  his  left  hand  a  book  con- 
taining the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  Over  his  head  was  a 
blazing  star  on  which  was  written  in  letters  of  blood, 
"  Liberty  to  the  captives."  Under  his  feet  was  writ- 
ten :  "  Behold  I  have  called  thee  by  name."  Breathless 
I  stood  while  he  raised  the  parchment  and  read : 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  hour  is  at  hand  when  all  of 
the  laws  and  the  prophets  concerning  Judah  as  spoken 
by  Isaiah  shall  be  fulfilled.  This  day  shalt  thou  pro- 
claim liberty  to  my  people.  Shouldst  thou  not  hearken 
unto  my  voice,  behold  I  will  liken  thee  unto  Samson, 
through  whose  death  greater  acts  were  achieved  than 
through  his  life.  Obey,  and  thou  shalt  live.  Disobey, 
and  this  night  thy  soul  shalt  be  required  of  thee." 


198  THE   IRISH   PRINCE. 

« 

As  the  vision  vanished  out  of  my  sight  I  awoke, 
and  seizing  a  silver  trumpet  blew  a  blast  that  called  to 
my  aid  the  whole  household.  Dismissing  them  all  but 
Daniel,  I  related  to  him  my  vision.  Daniel  replied  : 
"  Sound  the  alarm ;  call  the  craft  together,  and  let 
them  go  up  and  build  the  city  and  lay  the  foundation 
for  the  temple."  Then  he  fell  on  his  face  and  wept. 
The  prophecies  were  fulfilled.  For  seventy  years  he 
had  waited  for  this  hour.  A  youth  of  twelve  years 
then,  an  old  man  of  eighty-two  now,  but  he  had  never 
wavered  in  his  faith,  nor  had  one  murmur  escaped  his 
lips. 

"  I  am  here  to-night  to  listen  to  your  pleadings  for  the 
last  time."  "Sovereign  master."  It  was  Zerubbabel  who 
spoke.  "  I  am  here  to  implore  justice  and  benevolence 
for  my  brethren,  as  I  am  of  the  true  seed  of  David.  I 
was  born  in  Babylon  a  captive  slave,  and  my  youth 
was  spent  in  the  brick  kilns  and  under  the  lash.  I 
have  prayed  to  God  as  I  was  nearing  my  seventieth 
year  to  fulfill  His  promises  through  Isaiah  and  Jere- 
miah. I  am  the  first  among  my  equals,  by  rank  a 
mason,  and  by  misfortune  a  captive,  and  I  came  to 
implore  that  under  the  Supreme  Architect  of  the  uni- 
verse the  king  will  restore  our  liberty  and  allow  us  to 
return  and  rebuild  the  temple  of  our  God."  "  Zerub- 
babel, I  have  like  you,  lamented  the  captivity  of  your 
people  and  I  grant  your  request,  and  now  before  the 
great  I  AM,  set  your  people  at  liberty.  Return  to 


LIBERTY   TO   THE   CAPTIVE.  199 

your  country,  rebuild  the  temple  destroyed  by  my  an- 
cestors and  its  treasures  shall  be  restored.  I  arm  you 
with  this  sword  as  a  mark  of  superiority  over  your 
equals,  knowing  you  will  draw  it  only  iri  defense  of 
your  God,  your  brethren,  and  your  family."  "  I  now 
create  you  a  'Knight  of  the  Sword.'  May  you,  'Sir 
Knight  of  the  East,'  wear  it  with  honor  to  yourself, 
your  country,  and  your  God."  Thus  saith  Cyrus  king 
of  Persia.  "All  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  hath  the 
Lord  God  of  Heaven  given  me,  and  He  hath  charged 
me  to  build  Him  a  house  in  Jerusalem,  which  is  in 
Judah.  Who  is  there  among  you  of  all  His  people? 
The  Lord  his  God  be  with  him  and  let  him  go  up." 

Then  there  arose  Joshua  and  Nehemiah,  and  Zerub- 
babel,  and  Zorobabel,  and  Zechariah,  and  Haggai,  and 
Ezra,  proclaiming,  "  We  will  go  up."  Behold  the  plum- 
met in  the  hands  of  Zerubbabel  the  son  of  Shealtiel  of 
the  seed  royal  of  the  throne  of  David,  the  square  in  the 
hands  of  Nehemiah  the  governor,  the  compass  in  the 
hands  of  Joshua  the  high  priest,  while  Zorobabel,  the 
son  of  Salathiel,  whose  genealogy  had  been  carefully 
traced  step  by  step  back  to  the  throne  of  David,  was 
given  in  charge  the  records  which  were  to  become  the 
Holy  Bible,  to  be  read  by  all  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  till  the  mansions  of  the  city  of  the  New  Jeru- 
salem were  thrown  open  to  all  of  those  who  read  and 
believed. 

Thus  the  true  line  was  carried  forward  and  estab- 


200  THE  IRISH   PRINCE. 

lished  through  the  word  of  God,  for  out  of  the  loins  of 
David  came  Zedekiah,  and  from  Zedekiah,  Tea  Tephi, 
who  founded  the  kingdom  of  Israel ;  and  from  the 
loins  of  David  came  Zorobabel,  and  from  Zorobabel 
the  Lord  our  Righteousness,  which  is  Jesus,  who  is 
called  the  Christ. 


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